UPDATE #4: Officer Involved in Downtown Portland Shots Fired Incident Identified

January 27, 2024 12:31

  Follow @PortlandPolice

The Portland Police Bureau member involved in the January 14th downtown Portland shots fired incident is identified as Officer Joshua Howery, a 23-year veteran of the Portland Police Bureau assigned to East Precinct and a member of the Special Emergency Reaction Team. He remains on administrative leave as the investigation continues.

###PPB###

***Original Messages Below***

The man who died in Sunday’s officer-involved shooting in Downtown Portland has been identified as Matthew L Holland, 31, of Portland. His family has been notified of his death and they are requesting privacy at this time.

The Medical Examiner determined Holland died from a gunshot wound.

This remains an open, active investigation. If anyone has information about this incident and has not spoken to police, they’re asked to contact Detective William Winters at william.winters@police.portlandoregon.gov 503-823-0466 or Detective Jason Koenig at jason.koenig@police.portlandoregon.gov 503-823-0889 and reference case number 24-10954.

As is standard practice, the Portland Police Bureau Homicide Unit is investigating the incident in conjunction with the Multnomah County District Attorney's Office and East County Major Crimes Team, all of whom responded to the scene. After all available facts have been gathered, they will be forwarded to the District Attorney's Office, at which point the District Attorney will make the decision on whether the facts of the case warrant its presentation to a grand jury.

As part of the use of force review process, the Bureau will conduct an internal review of the entire incident, including the initial response, resources requested, tactics used, and post shooting actions. The case will go before the Police Review Board (PRB), which is composed of community members, Bureau members, and representatives from the Independent Police Review Division.

The Portland Police Bureau directive outlining the procedures followed after an officer-involved shooting may be found at https://www.portland.gov/policies/police-directives/weapons-ammunition-equipment-1000/101010-deadly-force-and-custody-death">https://www.portland.gov/policies/police-directives/weapons-ammunition-equipment-1000/101010-deadly-force-and-custody-death

Once the entire investigation and legal process is complete, the investigative files and any grand jury transcripts will be posted on the Bureau's Open Data page. Information available about past officer-involved shootings can be found here: https://www.portland.gov/police/open-data/ois">https://www.portland.gov/police/open-data/ois

###PPB###

***Original Messages Below***

On Sunday, January 14, 2024 at 12:35a.m., Central Precinct officers responded to a report from a community member of shots heard on the 8th floor of an apartment building at 140 Southwest Columbia Street in Downtown Portland. Within 6 minutes, officers began arriving and assessing the situation. An officer found bullet strikes in the hallway and they began to try to narrow down from where the shots were coming. Officers could hear voices yelling from within an apartment, further raising concern that someone may be in danger. Officers heard additional shots and requested additional resources. They also sent a Public Alerts message to residents of the building notifying them of the dangerous situation and requesting they stay in their units with doors locked.

At 1:01a.m., the Special Emergency Reaction Team and Crisis Negotiation Team were activated. Members of the teams responded through the inclement weather, bringing additional resources, training, and equipment. With every SERT/CNT activation, a Critical Incident Commander responds to the scene to manage the overall response.

As officers were getting into position, they continued to hear shots being fired from inside the apartment. CNT officers were attempting to place phone calls inside the unit, and rescue plans were being formed. In an attempt to learn whether anyone might be inside and need rescue, SERT officers positioned themselves at an outer perimeter position across the street from the apartment where they attempted to see in through the windows.

While officers attempted to learn more, the sounds of shots and yelling stopped for over an hour. Officers used that time to work towards evacuating the apartments nearest to the suspect, move in additional resources, form contingency plans, and gather information. Arrangements were made to have a warm place for evacuated residents to wait. Members of the Crisis Negotiation Team continued to attempt phone contact with the occupants of the suspect’s apartment multiple times without success. SERT officers also attempted loud hails from the hallway, without response.

Then, at 2:40a.m., additional gunshots were heard, and at least one neighbor reported bullets were piercing the walls of their apartment. A short time later, one officer on the outer perimeter used deadly force.

Officers in the apartment’s hallway breached the door and searched the apartment, finding the suspect injured. They did not find anyone else inside. Immediately, they summoned paramedics and attempted lifesaving measures. However, the man died.

Officers found an AR-15 style rifle next to the man (photo). Bullet holes were found in the apartment door and walls. The officers checked neighboring units and confirmed there were no injuries. After the on-scene investigation was concluded, residents of neighboring units were able to return home.

The suspect, an adult male, will be identified after the medical examiner confirms his identity and notifies his family of his death.

“Every time a gun is fired in our neighborhoods, whether by a community member or a police officer, it affects us all in profound ways,” said Police Chief Bob Day. “I recognize the impact these events have. There’s no question this was an extraordinarily dangerous and challenging incident, and I appreciate the dedicated service of the police bureau members involved. To the community, I pledge that we are investigating this fully and will share more information as soon as appropriate while protecting the integrity of the investigation.”

Per PPB policy, the name of the involved officer will be released within 14 days of the incident, absent a credible security threat.

This remains an open, active investigation. If anyone has information about this incident and has not spoken to police, they’re asked to contact Detective William Winters at william.winters@police.portlandoregon.gov 503-823-0466 or Detective Jason Koenig at jason.koenig@police.portlandoregon.gov 503-823-0889 and reference case number 24-10954.

Photo description: a black AR-15 style rifle with magazine on a floor

###PPB###

***Original Messages Below***

The tactical incident has ended after an officer involved shooting. One Portland Police SERT officer used deadly force. No officers were injured, and the suspect is deceased. No other injuries have been reported. The shelter-in-place order has been lifted. Some residents were evacuated and most are being released to return home. Some units on the 8th floor of the building will not be accessible due to the investigation.

The first call began at 12:34a.m. and the shelter in place was lifted at 4:44a.m. The involved officer is on administrative leave, which is standard protocol.

Per bureau directives, the Portland Police Homicide Unit and the Multnomah County District Attorney’s office are responding to investigate the incident. If anyone has information about this incident and has not spoken to police, they’re asked to contact Detective William Winters at william.winters@police.portlandoregon.gov 503-823-0466 or Detective Jason Koenig at jason.koenig@police.portlandoregon.gov 503-823-0889 and reference case number 24-10954.

As part of the use of force review process, the Bureau will conduct an internal review of the entire incident, including the initial response, resources requested, tactics used, and post-shooting actions. The case will go before the Police Review Board (PRB), which is composed of community members, Bureau members, and representatives from the Independent Police Review Division. Here’s a summary of the timeline: https://www.portland.gov/sites/default/files/2022/use-of-deadly-force-timeline.pdf

The Portland Police Bureau is committed to transparency, and we’ve dedicated an entire section of our website to officer-involved use of deadly force.
https://www.portland.gov/police/open-data/ois
There, the community can view an interactive dashboard, which allows users to filter the information based on a variety of data. That includes cases by year with subject injury type, initial call type, subject weapon, demographics, and aggregate statistics. There is also a link to our summaries page that includes information about cases over the last 13 years.

In this case, once the entire investigation and legal process is complete, the investigative files and any grand jury transcripts will be posted on the website.

The Portland Police Bureau directive outlining the procedures followed after an officer involved shooting may be found at https://www.portland.gov/policies/police-directives/weapons-ammunition-equipment-1000/101010-deadly-force-and-custody-death .

###PPB###
***Original Message Below***

The Special Emergency Reaction Team (SERT) and the Crisis Negotiation Team (CNT) are responding to a report of shots heard from inside an apartment in Downtown Portland. No known injuries.

The incident is happening on the 8th floor of 140 Southwest Columbia Street. Residents of the building have been alerted to the police activity via the Public Alerts system and they have been asked to stay inside and lock their doors (shelter in place). Some units may be evacuated by uniformed Portland Police Officers. So far no streets have been closed to traffic, however, closures may be put into place as more police resources arrive.

More information will be released as appropriate.

Portland's community notification system is called PublicAlerts. Visit https://www.publicalerts.org to sign up. PublicAlerts sends information by text, email, and voice message about how to stay safe during an emergency.

###PPB###

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