EAGLE POINT, Ore. — Body camera footage shows an officer-involved shooting of a man who took a knife from a backpack and charged at an officer, the Rogue Valley Times reported.
The Oct. 15 confrontation occurred following a 911 call from a woman who said that the suspect had refused to leave her apartment, according to the report.
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Eagle Point Police Chief Jim Hamilton was the first to contact the suspect, who was sitting on a public bench. Hamilton activated his body camera and attempted to question the suspect about the reported incident. The suspect was defensive, insisting that the woman invited him to the apartment.
“I’m late to the party here, right? I don’t know what’s going on, so I’ve got to find out from you,” Hamilton said. “That’s why I’m talking to you. There’s two sides to every story.”
The suspect initially refused to identify himself and then provided a false name. Dispatch later confirmed he had an extraditable warrant from California for a parole violation related to sexual assault.
Officer Marc Slagle arrived on the scene and, after speaking with him briefly, informed the suspect he was under arrest. At that point, the suspect retrieved a knife from one of his backpacks and charged at Slagle, prompting Hamilton to deploy his TASER, bringing the suspect to the ground momentarily.
While on the ground, the suspect ignored commands, grabbed the knife again, and began to stand. Both officers then fired their weapons.
The suspect then dropped the knife before picking it up once more and beginning to stand again, prompting a second round of gunfire. Slagle kicked the knife away after the suspect collapsed.
Medical aid was rendered by officers and responding personnel, but the suspect was pronounced dead at the scene, according to the report. Slagle was treated at a hospital for knife wounds on his right arm.
In late October, a Jackson County grand jury ruled that both officers were “fully justified” in the shooting.
The grand jury reviewed body camera footage, patrol vehicle video and heard testimony from both officers. Prosecutors said both Hamilton and Slagle believed the suspect posed an imminent threat of serious physical harm or death at the time of the shooting.
The suspect was on probation, had a history of assault and battery, and was listed as a sex offender with no known local address, according to the report.
