PORTLAND -- The man fired at by two Portland police officers in a downtown parking garage Wednesday had a replica gun in his hand before he died, according to investigators.
Police shot at Bradley Lee Morgan, 21, on the rooftop of a downtown Portland parking garage after he reportedly called 9-1-1 himself, saying he had committed a robbery and planned to jump, said Sgt. Pete Simpson.
Morgan was later found dead atop an elevator shaft by SERT officers, Simpson said. He died of a single gunshot wound, medical examiners said Thursday
A police statement released to the media said Morgan reached into a pocket and pulled out what they described as a handgun and pointed it at the officer and sergeant who were talking with him. Then, "both the sergeant and the officer fired shots at the man which caused him to drop out of sight."
Sergeant John Holbrook, a 15-year-veteran of the Portland Police Bureau, and Officer David Scott, a 9-year-veteran, both assigned to Central Precinct were placed on paid leave, per Bureau policy.
Simpson said that when SERT officers reached Morgan, they said he was dead and a black replica handgun was in his hand. (Photo of gun from police pictured above)
Mayor Sam Adams visited the scene and later released this statement: “There is more work to be done on the investigation into the circumstances and details of this incident, including a grand jury proceeding. As the Police Bureau does with any investigation, we will look for opportunities to learn from this incident,” Adams said.
Police noted that it is standard operating procedure to call for a grand jury investigation in these types of cases.
Shooting occurred around 4 a.m.
The first 9-1-1 call came at 3:17 a.m., Simpson said. A despondent man told dispatchers he had robbed someone at knifepoint and was standing atop a nine-story building, intending to jump off. The man was spotted on the top floor of the SmartPark garage at SW 4th and Morrison Avenues.
When asked whether he had a gun, Morgan said, "possibly," according to Simpson, who also said he was "making 'suicide by cop' statements."
Officers started to speak with the man and called for a crisis team. At some point, two officers fired shots at the man, who then dropped out of view, Simpson said. The officers could not determine if he was alive and remained a threat.
No officers were injured.
The suspect was later spotted on top of a corner elevator shaft that also serves as a stairwell. SERT officers climbed up ladders to reach him.
During the course of the investigation, a bullet was recovered from an office on the 14th floor of a building located at 888 Southwest 5th Avenue and another was located by a citizen in a crosswalk at Southwest 5th and Yamhill.
The sergeant who fired at Morgan is a 15-year-veteran of the Portland Police Bureau and the officer is a 9-year-veteran, both assigned to Central Precinct, Simpson said. Both officers have been placed on paid leave, as is standard policy.
The police response also included the bomb squad, which used cameras on poles and on robots to search the SmartPark garage, Simpson said.
Police cordoned off an area stretching from Alder and Morrison streets to 3rd and 4th avenues during the investigation. Streets were reopened after several hours but the garage remained closed.
KGW Reporters Kyle Iboshi and Collette Wieland contributed to this report
