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Portland police ID armed man fatally shot by officer in Pearl District

Police said the suspect was holding a woman at knifepoint when officers arrived.

PORTLAND, Ore. — On Tuesday, Portland police identified the armed suspect who was shot and killed by an officer in the Pearl District on Sunday.

The suspect, who was holding a woman at knifepoint when officers arrived, was 38-year-old David Wayne Downs. Police said Downs lived previously in California; they're unsure how long he had been in Portland.

The woman who was with Downs when the shooting happened was treated at a local hospital Sunday and released later that day, police said.

Two officers were involved and neither were hurt in the incident, which happened in a multi-use building located at 1331 Northwest Lovejoy Street in Portland.

Credit: Portland Police Bureau
David Wayne Downs

Officer Nathan Kirby-Glatkowski, who has been with the bureau for two years, used deadly force, police said in a prepared statement. Officer Jackson Oldham, with the bureau for four years, used less lethal force.

Police said Tuesday that both officers were interviewed by Internal Affairs investigators within 48 hours, per bureau policy. The bureau will conduct an internal review and the case will go before a police review board. After that is complete, investigative files and grand jury transcripts will be posted here.

Officers responded at around 9:43 a.m. Sunday and contacted Downs, who was holding a woman at knifepoint in the stairwell of the building. The woman appeared to be hurt, police said.

Credit: Portland Police Bureau
A photograph of the knife the suspect was using during the incident, released by the Portland Police Bureau.

Police tried to communicate with Downs. One of the officers used less lethal force, and the other officer shot him. Downs died before medical help arrived, police said.

A witness told KGW's Lindsay Nadrich that he heard a disturbance in the stairwell Sunday morning as he was arriving at work and called 911. He yelled into the stairwell that police were coming. He said he heard a woman screaming, and a man yelled that he had a knife, a bomb and a hostage.

Police said the Explosive Disposal Unit didn't find any evidence of an explosive device at the scene.

The witness told KGW he later saw a woman sitting on the curb. He said she had blood on her forehead, and that she was walking around at some point.

The name of the suspect and the woman haven't been released by police.

KGW's Maggie Vespa reported earlier Sunday afternoon that the scene was taped off, streets were closed and employees of a nearby Safeway had been evacuated. One Safeway employee told Vespa they were told there was a hostage situation in the parking structure.

An employee told Vespa that a customer ran into the store, saying a man was holding a woman at knifepoint in the parking garage. Employees who were evacuated said they saw a woman run out into the street, yelling and bleeding.

Portland Mayor Ted Wheeler and Portland Police Bureau Chief Danielle Outlaw were at the scene, Vespa reported.

"Calls involving armed and threatening subjects are complex and quickly evolving," Outlaw said. "This investigation is in the beginning stages and we ask for patience as it unfolds. We will make every attempt to provide as much information to the public as we can that will not jeopardize the investigation."

If anyone has information about this investigation, or had contact with the suspect, Portland police ask them to contact Det. Erik Kammerer at 503-823-0762 or erik.kammerer@portlandoregon.gov, or Det. Mark Slater at 503-823-9319 or mark.slater@portlandoregon.gov.

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