Police shoot, kill man in Portland’s Pearl District

Two Portland police officers shot and killed a man in Northwest Portland’s Pearl District Thursday morning.

Portland Police Bureau spokesperson Sgt. Kevin Allen said the man who was shot was a suspect in a “disturbance with a weapon” call at a nearby Safeway days earlier.

Police were able to identify the suspect due to evidence left behind at that scene, and they obtained an arrest warrant.

Allen said tactical officers and a crisis negotiation team were serving that warrant at an apartment building near Northwest 14th Avenue and Raleigh Street early Thursday morning.

“During that time, the suspect did not communicate with them and eventually there was a need to deploy gas into the apartment in order to prompt him to come out,” Allen said.

Officers evacuated the 10th floor of the building and then deployed tear gas and pepper spray.

As the man exited the apartment, two officers fired at him and he was killed.

Allen said officers found a handgun at the scene. No officers were injured.

Police did not release the names of anybody involved.

The Multnomah County District Attorney’s Office is investigating. Allen said the officer’s body camera footage will be reviewed.

Streets in the area will be closed off as the investigation continues, Allen said.

Police had first reported at 6:44 a.m. they were responding to a “critical incident” in the area and nearby streets were closed.

Allen said the Fremont Bridge was partially closed at one point during the initial response.

“It was a really good vantage point for officers to kind of see what was going on in the apartment,” he said. “We utilize those points of observation whenever we can to increase the level of safety, as much as we possibly can.”

This is a developing story and may be updated.