Full Breakdown
Police Shooting After Stabbing Attack in Downtown Portland
By Drooid · · How we work
Incident Overview
Around mid-afternoon on a Thursday, officers responded to a disturbance on Southwest Alder Street near Broadway. Witnesses said an adult male moved through the area wielding a box cutter, stabbing and assaulting several people. Detectives recovered the weapon, noting its blade was broken. A Portland Police Bureau officer fired at the suspect, who was later pronounced dead at a hospital. Two other men who were attacked were taken to the hospital with injuries described as serious but non-life-threatening. The officer who discharged his weapon was placed on administrative leave, a standard procedure following police-involved shootings.
On-the-Ground Accounts
Kate Bolling, owner of Oregon Wines on Broadway, recounted that the suspect entered her shop “flailing his arms, crying, yelling,” and threw his phone, wallet and a small fanny pack onto a table before she intervened. She and building security pursued him after he left the premises. Samuel Meche, a valet at the Dossier Hotel, described the suspect screaming at a receptionist, then attacking pedestrians on the sidewalk. Meche said three bystanders restrained the man until he produced the box cutter and injured a security guard. He later assisted a stabbing victim, applying pressure to the wounds to prevent further bleeding.
Official Statements & Responses
Sgt. Kevin Allen, a PPB spokesperson, said the injuries to the two victims were “very serious…non-life-threatening.” District Attorney Nathan Vasquez called any loss of life “a horrible tragedy” and pledged a transparent investigation. He indicated the office will decide in the coming weeks whether the case proceeds to a grand jury or receives a decline memo.
Verbatim Quotes
- “They were very serious injuries, but we're grateful to be able to report that they are non-life-threatening,” — Sgt. Kevin Allen
- “I had my door open to my business, and the person came in flailing his arms, crying, yelling, threw down his phone and his wallet and a small fanny pack on one of the tables,” — Kate Bolling, owner of Oregon Wines on Broadway
- “He was in the lobby, screaming at the receptionist, and he went outside and started attacking people on the sidewalk,” — Samuel Meche
- “Whenever we see the loss of life, it's a horrible tragedy, no matter what the circumstances,” — Nathan Vasquez, Multnomah County District Attorney
Next Steps
The Portland Police Bureau is asking anyone with additional information to contact the bureau. The district attorney’s office will determine within weeks whether the shooting will be presented to a grand jury or resolved with a decline memo, while the officer remains on leave pending the investigation’s outcome.