KATU.com
PORTLAND, Ore. - Portland police admitted Friday they made a grave mistake when an officer shot a man with live ammunition yesterday instead of the beanbag rounds he meant to fire.
Police Chief Mike Reese apologized during a news conference but said the Bureau is still investigating how the officer loaded the wrong rounds into a gun that is clearly marked “less lethal.”
“Using lethal rounds in a less-lethal shotgun was a terrible mistake,” he said. “We don’t know how it occurred yet. We have an investigation in process that will answer those questions. But we know it should not have happened. ... I spoke with the officer involved last night, and he certainly feels horrible about this, our thoughts and prayers are with the injured man and his family.”
Police responded to a 9-1-1 call Thursday morning after reports that a man was harassing children at Lair Hill Park, was acting intoxicated and was armed with a knife. Police said the suspect, 20-year-old William Kyle Monroe, fled from police up an embankment and wouldn’t respond to commands to surrender.