Portland Police Fatally Shoot Armed Man Who Charged At Officers

The Portland Police Bureau on Friday evening released surveillance video that captured a police officer shooting and killing a man at a Motel 6 in Northeast Portland on Thursday night.

The video, taken from the motel, shows a man advancing toward an officer, lunging at him with some kind of object in his hand.

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Moments later, the officer opened fire. The man fell to the ground. Police said he died at a hospital. Police said an autopsy found he died of a gunshot wound. They said they have identified him but have not released his name because they have yet to find his family.

The police bureau identified the officer who fired the deadly round as Curtis Brown, an 18-year veteran of the bureau. He’s been placed on leave, which is standard practice.

Police were called to the motel on Northeast Holladay Street, about a block away from the Oregon Convention Center, just after 7 p.m. Thursday for a welfare check.

While police have not detailed what happened, the video shows the man sitting at the bottom of a staircase while Brown, another officer, and four paramedics talk to him.

The video is silent, but at some point, the officers and the others begin to back up, and then the man stands up with an object in his hand and begins to advance toward Brown. Brown shoots him.

Police said they seized a weapon, a screwdriver that had been modified in some way.

"While the investigation is still in its early stages, and releasing evidence at this point is rare, providing this video is critical to combat misinformation being spread," said Chief Chuck Lovell in a statement released with the video. "Transparency and community trust are extremely important to us, but so is a full, complete, and thorough investigation. This illustrates how important it is to allow the investigation process to unfold before spreading unverified information. An officer use of deadly force is among the most important investigations that we do, and it's crucial that we take the time to do it right." - ThisIsButter

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