Police Reportedly Shoot Black Man In The Back More Than A Dozen Times In City Plagued By Racial Profiling
The Portland police have a record of racial profiling.
Nigel Roberts
News One
Protesters were understandably questioning the official version of a deadly police-involved shooting of an African-American man in Portland, Oregon, because of the department’s record with Black people.
Members of the group Don’t Shoot Portland gathered at the scene of the shooting in downtown Portland on Sunday, hours after the police said they shot and killed an armed suspect early in the morning, KATU-TV reported.
The slain man was identified on social media as 27-year-old Patrick Kimmons, who was reportedly a father of three young children. This latest police killing came against the backdrop of complaints about racial profiling and police killings of Black men in a city that’s just 6 percent African-American.
“He was a child, and he was a father, and he was a brother, and he was a son,” Teressa Raiford, a Don’t Shoot Portland organizer, said about Kimmons.
Some stories circulating on social claimed that claimed the police shot Kimmons in the back up to 15 times.
The Portland Police Bureau declined to immediately identify the suspect or officers involved in the shooting that occurred shortly after 3 a.m., the Oregonian reported.
There were no known videos to contradict the police version of exactly what happened. Patrol officers were responding to gunfire when they “engaged” someone whom the police fatally shot, according to officials. The man killed by police had been involved in a shooting that left two other men wounded. Investigators said they recovered a gun at the scene.
Sunday was the third Portland police shooting this year, and the second one to end with a suspect dead, according to the newspaper. In June, two Portland State University campus officers also shot and killed a Black Navy veteran who was trying to break up a fight outside a downtown bar.
Kimmons’ mother launched a GoFundMe campaign to raise money for his funeral and other expenses. The campaign raised nearly $4,000 by Monday afternoon.
Nigel Roberts
News One
Protesters were understandably questioning the official version of a deadly police-involved shooting of an African-American man in Portland, Oregon, because of the department’s record with Black people.
Members of the group Don’t Shoot Portland gathered at the scene of the shooting in downtown Portland on Sunday, hours after the police said they shot and killed an armed suspect early in the morning, KATU-TV reported.
The slain man was identified on social media as 27-year-old Patrick Kimmons, who was reportedly a father of three young children. This latest police killing came against the backdrop of complaints about racial profiling and police killings of Black men in a city that’s just 6 percent African-American.
“He was a child, and he was a father, and he was a brother, and he was a son,” Teressa Raiford, a Don’t Shoot Portland organizer, said about Kimmons.
Some stories circulating on social claimed that claimed the police shot Kimmons in the back up to 15 times.
The Portland Police Bureau declined to immediately identify the suspect or officers involved in the shooting that occurred shortly after 3 a.m., the Oregonian reported.
There were no known videos to contradict the police version of exactly what happened. Patrol officers were responding to gunfire when they “engaged” someone whom the police fatally shot, according to officials. The man killed by police had been involved in a shooting that left two other men wounded. Investigators said they recovered a gun at the scene.
Sunday was the third Portland police shooting this year, and the second one to end with a suspect dead, according to the newspaper. In June, two Portland State University campus officers also shot and killed a Black Navy veteran who was trying to break up a fight outside a downtown bar.
Kimmons’ mother launched a GoFundMe campaign to raise money for his funeral and other expenses. The campaign raised nearly $4,000 by Monday afternoon.
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