'Erratic' man armed with gun, hammer shot by PPB
PORTLAND, Ore. (KOIN) -- A man said to be acting erratically and armed with a gun and a hammer was shot by Portland police early Saturday night but is expected to survive, officials said.
The incident unfolded around 5:15 p.m. when then man was seen walking down the 7600 block of North Portsmouth carrying the weapons. When officers tried to contact him, he took cover behind a car and remained armed.
Both the Special Emergency Reaction Team (SERT) and the Crisis Response Team rushed to the scene.
Witness Pedro Sanchez told KOIN 6 News he saw the entire episode -- and eventually he ran for cover. When he and his wife saw SERT units surround that area of North Portsmouth Avenue, he began to capture it on his camera.
The man, wearing a partial face mask, eventually came out allegedly swearing at officers and told them to fire, Sanchez said.
"He's coming in the middle to the road with the hands up and asking the cops, like, 'shoot me,'" Sanchez said.
Authorities later told KOIN 6 News one officer fired a non-lethal round at the suspect, then another officer fired a bullet. Around 6:45 p.m., police said, the man was in custody and taken to the hospital. It is unclear where he was shot.
The suspect's name has not yet been released.
City data shows this is the fourth person shot by Portland police this year, the same number of officer-involved shootings as in 2023.