An Oregon State Police trooper and Clackamas County sheriff’s detective shot and killed Derrick Dewayne Clark, 24, after a traffic stop and pursuit early Saturday.
In an initial press release, the sheriff’s office said the shooting happened after an attempted traffic stop and chase that ended at Southeast Railroad Avenue and Southeast Wood Avenue in Milwaukie.
The Clackamas County District Attorney’s Office said in a statement Tuesday afternoon that the officers tried to stop Clark because they suspected he was driving under the influence. The DA’s statement said Clark drove his car into a ditch.
“Police gave verbal commands for Mr. Clark to show them his hands,” the DA’s statement said. “Mr. Clark got out of the car armed with a handgun. He was shot twice by police.”
The shooting is being investigated by the Oregon City and Lake Oswego police departments.
The officers who shot Clark, Oregon State Police trooper Zachary Cole and Clackamas County Sheriff’s Department detective Dan Ferguson, are both on leave pending the outcome of an investigation and grand jury decision on whether or not to indict them.
There have been at least four fatal shootings during pursuits by Clackamas County sheriff’s deputies since June 2021. In June last year, deputies shot and killed 44-year-old Jeremiah Lee Wright; in September last year, a deputy shot and killed 26-year-old Nathan Thomas Honeycutt; and in January, deputies shot and killed Wesley Chance, 32.
Last September, Clackamas County Sheriff Angela Brandenburg implemented a policy limiting when deputies could engage in pursuits after deputies chased an alleged shoplifter and the high-speed pursuit resulted in a fatal hit-and-run involving a third vehicle, according to the Portland Tribune. Under the new policy, Clackamas County deputies are only supposed to engage in pursuits when they believe a person has committed a felony crime.
Driving under the influence is a misdemeanor in Oregon unless a person has three prior convictions in the past 10 years.