MCMINNVILLE, Ore. — A man who was fatally shot by McMinnville police during an incident on Aug. 23 was carrying an air gun that resembled a revolver, according to a new report released on Monday.
Two officers responded to an apartment building on Southwest Barbara Street around 2:07 p.m. A man, later identified as 69-year-old Laurence Dickson, called 911 and reported that he "felt like he was going to harm himself," according to a news release from McMinnville police.
The officers, who were identified as Justin Schwartz and Cody Williams, asked Dickson to leave the building to speak with them. As Dickson exited the building, the officers saw that he was carrying what they believed to be a gun. An investigation showed that it was an air gun designed to look like a revolver.
Schwartz told Dickson to drop the weapon and Dickson pointed it at him, McMinnville police said. Schwartz fired one round from his rifle and hit Dickson in the chest. Officers started to give first aid and called for medics, but Dickson died at the scene.
Williams and Schwartz were placed on administrative leave, which is standard protocol.
Oregon State Police is investigating. The agency asks anyone who may have witnessed the incident, who has not been contacted by investigators, to call the Oregon State Police Northern Command Center at 1-800-442-0776 and refer to case #SP22-222343.
During the incident, a nearby assisted living facility reportedly went into lockdown.
