Statement describes background of incident leading up to shooting and arrest of 17-year-old suspect

The day after police fired at a teenager with a gun, the bureau released a lengthy statement explaining the circumstances leading up to the incident.

No officers were hurt in the Tuesday incident in Southeast Portland the 17-year-old was arrested and charged with two count of Unlawful Possession of a Firearm. His name has not been released because of his name.

The release of the statement followed a brief discussion of the incident by police during a report on Portland’s anti-illegal gun program to the City Council on Wednesday morning.

Here is the statement released Wednesday afternoon:

This investigation started when Portland Police Bureau Gun Task Force and Gang Enforcement Team officers were conducting surveillance on a location related to a federal gun case involving Sid Willis.

On May 24, 2012, 33-year-old Sid Edward Willis Jr. was arrested by Portland Police officers after he threatened another man with a gun. Willis was charged with multiple felony crimes, including Felon in Possession of a Firearm. Willis, a known Crip gang associate, was then indicted by a Federal Grand Jury on June 5, 2012 for Felon in Possession of a Firearm as an Armed Career Criminal. Willis has remained in Federal custody since then as a flight risk and a dangerous offender.

As part of that investigation, the Portland Police Bureau Gun Task Force and Gang Enforcement Team obtained a federal search warrant for 646 Southeast 148th Avenue, Apartment #39. The search warrant is related to alleged witness tampering involving the federal case against Sid Willis. During several days of surveillance, investigators observed several suspected gang members and associates come and go from the apartment.

On Tuesday morning, investigators saw a young man they did not know come out of the apartment, armed with a handgun. Investigators observed him "showing it off" to others, then saw him get into a blue Honda two-door along with three other people, later identified as 25-year-old Kristi Kirkpatrick, 27-year-old James Crowell and 20-year-old Dadeffo Gebeyessa.

Gun Task Force investigators requested East Precinct officers perform a high-risk traffic stop on the vehicle and described the person in the car that was seen with the gun. A surveillance photo taken by a Portland Police officer of the suspect with the gun has been released, with the faces being blacked out.

East Precinct and Gresham Police officers stopped the vehicle in the driveway of 15301 Southeast Division Street and conducted a high-risk stop, which is used when there is information that someone in the vehicle is armed.

The driver, Kristi Kirkpatrick, and front seat passenger James Crowell, exited the vehicle, followed commands, and were taken into custody.

The third person to get out of the car was the 17-year-old armed suspect seen earlier by officers with the gun. Officers gave the armed suspect commands which he refused to follow and he began to flee into the neighborhood. The armed suspect was shot with one round from a less-lethal beanbag shotgun by Portland Police Officer Dennis Wilcox. Officer Gregory Moore fired one round from his firearm. Officer Wilcox is a 21 year veteran of the Portland Police Bureau and Officer Moore has been with the Portland Police Bureau since March 2011.

The armed suspect fled into neighborhood and officers, including a Police K-9 Unit, searched the neighborhood and located him in the yard of 1933 Southeast 149th Avenue.

The suspect was suffering from a non-life-threatening injury that was later determined by hospital staff to be a gunshot wound to his right thigh. Investigators believe that this gunshot wound is the result of the officer's shot, not a self-inflicted injury.

Officers searched the neighborhood for the gun believed to be possessed by the 17-year-old and police located two loaded handguns in the yard of 2247 Southeast 153rd Avenue.

The fourth person in the car, Dadeffo Gebeyessa, was also taken into custody and was bitten by the police K-9 on the wrist prior to being taken into custody.

Officer Moore has been scheduled for an interview by detectives, who are continuing to interview witness officers and neighborhood witnesses. Detectives would like to speak with any other neighborhood witnesses that have not spoken to police and would ask that they call (503) 823-0400.

One aspect of an officer-involved shooting investigation is to determine what behavior or information led to an officer using deadly force and whether or not there was justification for the use of force.

The Multnomah County District Attorney's Office will schedule a grand jury after the investigation is complete.

The Portland Police Bureau Gang Enforcement Team and Gun Task Force are continuing to actively investigate gang and gun crimes in the City of Portland, including the illegal possession of firearms by juveniles. Anyone with information about gang and/or illegal gun crimes in the City of Portland is encouraged to provide information to the Portland Police Bureau.