The video, shared online by Morgan Pickering on Sunday, shows residents inside a homeless shelter scrambling for safety as several heavily armed officers move into the building, corner their suspect and fire bullets at him.
A post shared by Morgan Pickering (@pladladd) on Apr 7, 2018 at 11:01pm PDT
"Oh my god, please god," Pickering is heard saying as he zooms in on the police's target. "Oh my god… oh my god… oh my god."
Officers can be heard urging the unidentified man to "drop the knife" before firing several shots at him. The suspect was pronounced dead at the scene by medical personnel. There were no reported injuries to any bystanders.
According to reports, officers came to the shelter after they were told that a man who crashed a stolen vehicle was on the grounds. Though officers were informed that he had a weapon, it hasn't been determined if the suspect actually had a weapon at the time of the shooting.
After Pickering's footage made the rounds on social media, Portland Police Chief Danielle Outlaw said in a statement that she was aware of the recording and asked for the public's patience while the incident is being investigated.
"The Portland Police Bureau values human life and accepts the authority to use lethal force with great reverence," Outlaw said. "I am aware a video was taken of this incident by a community member and that video was posted to the internet. Please be reminded that deadly force investigations are extremely complex and take time."
"The police bureau is committed to transparency and will ensure the entire investigation is released in a timely manner that does not impact the integrity of the investigation," she added.
Pickering later told The Oregonian that he felt that the shooting was justified because the man was exhibiting erratic behavior.
"We were all scared for our lives," he told the outlet, before noting that the incident was "horrific."
The shooting took place moments after an Alcoholics Anonymous meeting began. Neither the identity of the officers involved in the shooting nor the name of the suspect have yet been released. The officers involved will remain on paid administrative leave until the investigation is concluded.