Brooklyn man recovers from shooting; Grand Jury clears officers

Published 12:00 am Friday, March 31, 2017

On Wednesday March 15, 2017, a Multnomah County Grand Jury determined that two Portland Police Bureau officers had been justified in their use of deadly force in the February shooting of 56-year-old Don Perkins, reported on page one of the March BEE (“Distraught man, with fake gun, shot in Brooklyn”).

Portland Police spokesman Sgt. Pete Simpson reported the outcome of the Grand Jury investigation, adding, “Perkins recovered from his injuries, and was civilly committed for mental health treatment. The officers involved in the shooting were Officer Roger Walsh and Officer Bradley Clark, both 11-year-veterans, assigned to Central Precinct.”

The investigation started on February 9, at 6:31 p.m., when Central Precinct officers responded to a 9-1-1 call regarding a 56-year-old man (later identified as Perkins) who was threatening to commit suicide. Officers arrived in the area and began to search for Perkins. Officers located Perkins in a van in the 3300 block of S.E. 22nd Avenue.

During the contact with Perkins, the officers saw that he possessed a handgun. As the officers were attempting to communicate with him, Perkins dropped something out of the van. Perkins reached for what appeared to be a handgun, which resulted in an officer firing a single shot at him. Perkins told the officers they were going to have to shoot him, and he moved back towards the gun, resulting in officers firing additional shots that struck Perkins.

Officers then safely approached Perkins and got him medical attention. He was transported by ambulance to a Portland hospital for treatment to his injuries. The item Perkins dropped was later determined to be a realistic-looking replica firearm. A second replica handgun was seized as evidence from Perkins’ van.

Through the investigation, detectives learned that Perkins was under the influence of prescription narcotics, and when police arrived, he attempted to force the officers to shoot and kill him as a method of suicide commonly known as “suicide by cop”.

Despite the “no true bill” from a Grand Jury, clearing the officers in the incident, Simpson told THE BEE, “Officer-involved shootings, fortunately, are a rare occurrence, and receive a high level of investigation and internal review.

“As part of the ‘use of force review’ process, the Portland Police Bureau will still conduct an internal review of the entire incident, and the case will go before the Police Review Board (PRB), which is comprised of community members, Bureau members, and representatives from the Independent Police Review Division.”