Grand Jury Declines To Bring Criminal Charges Against Portland Police Officer

By Conrad Wilson (OPB)
Portland, Ore. Jan. 28, 2020 12:16 a.m.

UPDATED (6:05 p.m. PT) A Multnomah County grand jury returned a "not true bill" Monday, declining to bring criminal charges against Portland Police Officer Justin Raphael.

Raphael shot and killed 51-year-old Koben Henriksen on Dec. 8, 2019.

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Related: Parents Blame Mental Health System Failures, Officer In Koben Henriksen's Death

Police said Henriksen was holding a knife near the intersection of SE 103rd Drive and SE Stark Street in Portland in the moments before the shooting.

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According to Henriksen's father, Rick Henriksen, a police detective called and told him his son had threatened two Portland police officers with a pair of knives, one in each hand, once before – in November.

The detective said Koben Henriksen tried to induce suicide by cop, Rick Henriksen told OPB.

Rick Henriksen said he believes his son was doing the same thing when he was killed Dec. 8. He was shot at least once in the head and once in the chest.

Reached by text Monday, Rick Henriksen wrote that he'd been told to expect this decision. Still, he added, in his mind, there was "no question" Raphael had used excessive force against his son.

"My son had a knife and according to witnesses only seemed confused," he wrote. "Seems a little one-sided to me!"

Henriksen struggled with mental illness for much of his adult life, according to his family.

In its determination, grand jurors said Raphael's use of force was a lawful act of self-defense.

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