Here's the release from the cops. Note the following phrase: "The lethal cover officer fired his AR-15 rifle in response to perceived threatening actions. The actions of the man that was shot will be fully released to the public after all officers and witnesses have been interviewed." We'll have more on this next week, including, hopefully, the name of the officer who shot.

Detective Mary Wheat
Public Information Officer
January 30, 2010

NEWS RELEASE

SUICIDAL MAN SHOT BY PORTLAND POLICE

On Friday, January 29, 2010, at 4:22 p.m., Portland Police Officers responded to a 9-1-1 call regarding a suicidal man who was armed with a gun at an apartment complex located in the 12800 Block of NE Sandy Boulevard. The 9-1-1 call was from a friend of the girlfriend of the suicidal man. The caller told 9-1-1 that she thought the man possibly wanted to commit suicide by having the police shoot him. The caller said that she was concerned about her friend and her friend’s children who were possibly with him because she had not been able to contact her.

The first officer arrived at 4:30 p.m., quickly followed by additional officers. They made contact with a woman in the parking lot of the apartment complex. She told officers her boyfriend was inside the apartment with their children and had been despondent over the past few days, threatening suicide with a gun. She said her boyfriend had been carrying the gun with him and she had seen him put it the pocket of his black coat. While talking to the police, the woman sent a text message to her boyfriend asking him to come out. A short time after that, she received a text back from him that made comments about him bringing his gun out with him.

Officers initiated communications with the man via text and cellular telephone. At 5:33 p.m., the three children came out of the apartment and police were able to reunite them with their mother.

At 6:03 p.m., officers observed the man looking out from the back of the apartment. At 6:07 p.m., the man abruptly came out the front door of the apartment and officers began giving him directions in order to take him safely into custody. Initially, it appeared that the man was being compliant but then his actions suddenly changed. The man began making statements to the officers that they were going to have to shoot him.

Due to the man’s actions, one officer at the scene deployed a less lethal bean bag round. The man continued to not comply with the officer’s directions and in response, the officer fired more bean bag rounds. The lethal cover officer fired his AR-15 rifle in response to perceived threatening actions. The actions of the man that was shot will be fully released to the public after all officers and witnesses have been interviewed.

Officers at the scene immediately called for medical assistance but were not able to safely approach the man because they believed that he was still armed with a gun. The Special Emergency Reaction Team, (SERT), was activated and arrived on scene 23 minutes later. SERT is specially trained and equipped to safely approach and disarm potentially armed subjects. SERT medics attended to the man and pronounced him deceased at the scene.

Portland Police Homicide Detectives, as well as investigators from the East County Major Crime Team responded and began investigating this incident. The officer who fired the AR-15 is an eight year veteran of the Portland Police Bureau and is assigned to East Precinct. All officers and witnesses at the scene are being interviewed by investigators.

The man who was shot has been identified as 25-year-old Aaron Marcell Campbell of Portland. An autopsy was performed by the Multnomah County Medical Examiner’s Office on Saturday morning. The Medical Examiner’s Officer has determined that the cause of death was a single gunshot wound. Campbell had a history of violent criminal behavior that includes weapons charges, resisting arrest and had an active restraining order that prohibited him from carrying a firearm.

Detectives are continuing their investigation of this incident. In the next few days, all interviews of officers and witnesses will be complete. After those interviews are completed, additional details of this shooting will be released to the public.

• Still under wraps: 39th Ave and Chavez Blvd signs will peacefully coexist for the next five years.

The city's effort to rename a major city street after the famous activist and farmworker kicked off last winter with its eyes on 39th Ave, after a plan to rename Interstate Avenue crumbled over allegations of racism in 2007.

"Symbols are important and changing symbols is always controversial," said Mayor Adams today at the official renaming ceremony at Central Catholic Church on 39th Avenue. The mayor thanked the "scrappy group of applicants" and the most recent rename opposition group, whose leaders both spoke in appreciation of today's historic renaming.

"I fought fiercely to keep the street named the way it has been for 102 years. There was a lot of bitterness, but the healing has begun," 39th Avenue neighbor William Schneider told the crowd. He and Laurelhurst Neighborhood Association Chair Eric Fruits, also in attendance, spearheaded the anti-Chavez rename group Save 39th Avenue, which went so far as to question the immigration status of petitioners and investigate city street-renaming code. After City Council approved the rename, Schneider says members of the city and Latino community approached him, "After a lot of prayer and a lot of discussions with a lot of good people, I've decided it's time to end the street fight on 39th Avenue." The opposing sides would find healing through God, ended Schneider.

• Emcee Armando Gonzales

Mayor Adams and Commissioner Amanda Fritz opened up the hour-long ceremony with a rather nervous recitation of the national anthem.
"We're not professional singers," Fritz apologized to the crowd before beginning.
"¡Si se puede!" shouted back a helpful audience member.

Adams (sporting new glasses, btw) was met at the church by several recall petitioners as well the first anti-anti-Sam sign I've seen so far in the city.

It's Aliiiive! The economy grew faster than it had in six years this past quarter.

9/11 Trial May Move: Feds are considering not trying Khalid Sheikh Mohammed in NYC after all.

For the Children! Bill Gates' foundation will spend $10 billion more on vaccines, saving the lives of an estimated eight million children. That's right, Microsoft is good for children.

Tony Blair: I'm not a lapdog! Former British leader defends his buddy buddy relationship with George W. and his decision to go to war.

J.D. Salinger is Dead: He's mourned by thousands of phonies. (actual obit here)

Australian Porn Ban: Conservative Australians push to ban small breasts and female ejaculation on screen. Maybe there's nothing else to talk about in Australia?

Homeopathy Overdose: Some skeptics are planning to eat entire bottles of herbal homeopathic cures in an attempt to prove they're based on bunk science.

Speaking of Homeopathy... Closing arguments will begin in the Oregon couple's faith healing trial today.

Cell Phones = Doom! We've known for years that hands-free cell phones are just as dangerous for drivers as regular phones. But here's a study in the Oregonian about it.

Voting from Prison: Federal judges halt Washington's plan to expand voting for felons.