Bend police officer shoots and kills driver after crash

A Bend police officer shot and killed an 18-year-old man Wednesday night after a crash on U.S. 97.

Bend officers were called to the crash near Butler Market Road just after 8 p.m.

No injuries were reported from the crash, but witnesses told police a driver had been speeding and had nearly hit several other cars.

Shortly after police arrived, one of the officers had brief encounter with the driver, identified as Gabriel Platz, of Bend. Investigators say Platz pulled out a gun and the officer shot him.

The officer’s name has not been released. He is on paid critical incident leave as a major incident team investigates.