Police Shootings

A Multnomah County grand jury cleared a Portland Police Bureau officer Monday of any potential criminal charges related to a July fatal shooting.

While the bureau hasn’t provided any details or evidence of the threats, they announced on Wednesday that the FBI would investigate the potential danger to police officers.

Officers told investigators that Carlos Hunter reached for a gun when they attempted to search his car. The lawsuit contends Hunter never grabbed the gun, and questions whether he reached.

While investigators have yet to disclose more information about the shooting, at least three of the involved officers have been involved in shootings in the past, records show. One of them was fatal. All three have been ruled justified.

A spokesperson for the Vancouver Police Department said the man ultimately confronted officers with a knife. Four officers are on paid leave.

Oregon law enforcement shot least 35 people in 2021, a small increase from 2020 when officers shot at 33 people, according to tracking data from the police watchdog group, Portland Copwatch.

Court documents show Vancouver police started the investigation into Karuo after he allegedly pointed a handgun at a man in a parking lot on Sept. 29. Vancouver police had also placed a GPS tracker on Karuo’s white 2003 Ford Expedition, which was in place the night he died.

The release is the first information shedding light on why Clark County Sheriff's deputies sought to arrest Karuo on Oct. 17. Deputies ultimately forced Karuo's car into a berm and, according to investigators, fired at him after he aimed a gun.

The Clark County Medical Examiner's Office confirmed Karuo as the person deputies shot and killed outside a mobile home park early Sunday morning. Two deputies are on paid leave.

A Multnomah County Grand Jury decided not to move forward with charges in the killing of Israel Berry.