PORTLAND, Ore. — The Portland Police Bureau (PPB) on Wednesday identified the three officers involved in the fatal shooting of a man near Mall 205 in Southeast Portland on Dec. 27, 2023.
The officers have all been with PPB between six and 13 years.
- John Bartlett, seven years with PPB, Special Resources Division
- Adi Ramic, 13 years with PPB, Special Resources Division
- Brian Wheeler, six years with PPB, East Precinct
While the investigation is ongoing, all three officers will remain on standard administrative leave, PPB said.
Tyrone Johnson II was shot and killed by officers around 3:30 p.m. on Dec. 27. He was 33 years old.
PPB has said that the three officers used deadly force after "a confrontation with Johnson, but declined to elaborate further on what that confrontation entailed.
Surveillance video obtained by KGW from a nearby business showed him running through the parking lot that afternoon as patrol cars arrived on scene.
Investigators said officers responded to reports that a suspect in a previous robbery was shoplifting at the Mall 205 Target store. Johnson had an active arrest warrant, the agency said. Detectives released a black-and-white photo of a firearm recovered on scene, but they have not said whether Johnson displayed the gun, or even fired it.
At a vigil held by family and friends of Johnson on Jan. 3, his mother, Tonya Portis, said he didn't deserve to die. "He was human," she said. "They took a human life." She said she doesn't understand why officers didn't use non-lethal force, like rubber bullets or a taser. "Why did you have to automatically just pull out your gun and start shooting my son?" she asked.
PPB will conduct an internal review of the incident, after which the case will go before the Police Review Board, which is made up of community members, PPB members and representatives form the Independent Police Review Division.
After the entire investigation and legal process is complete, all investigative files and grand jury transcripts will be posted on PPB's website.
