Family calls for help; Washington County deputy shoots their loved one
By Findley Merritt, The Oregonian, September 09, 2012
The Washington County Sheriff’s Office is investigating an officer-involved shooting that occurred at Bethany Meadows Apartments, 16000 block of Northwest Laidlaw Road, Sunday afternoon that left the suspect in the hospital.
Sgt. Vance Stimler said deputies responded to a call around 3:45 p.m. from 50-year-old Jeffery Holmes‘ family who were worried about his welfare.
The two deputies spoke with Holmes through his door at the apartment complex urging him to come outside and speak with them. Stimler said when the man opened his door, he assaulted one of the deputies with a knife.
The deputy who was stabbed shot Holmes once with his gun in self-defense.
Holmes was transported to a hospital with life-threatening injuries, and the other deputy received a small laceration from the knife. Holmes’ condition is unknown at this time.
Stimler said the deputy who opened fire will be placed on paid leave pending the investigation.
No more information will be released at this time.
Deputy shoots man in Beaverton
From KOIN.com, September 9, 2012
A 50-year-old man was shot during an interaction with a deputy Sunday, according to the Washington County Sheriff’s Office.
This happened at the Bethany Meadows Apartments on Northwest Spartan Way in Beaverton, Ore.
Witnesses say the injured man, now identified as 50-year-old Jeffrey Holmes, was shot at multiple times.
“I heard the gunshots,” said neighbor Garrett Richards, who reported hearing five shots. “And then I came down here on my bike, and I saw a guy get carried out on a stretcher.”
Holmes was taken to the hospital, and underwent surgery Sunday afternoon. His injuries are life threatening, according to the sheriff’s office.
What led up to this shooting?
Deputies say two officers went to the Bethany Meadows apartment complex to conduct a welfare check on Holmes. This was around 4 p.m. Sunday.
“When he opened the door, he actually attacked the deputy with a knife,” Washington County Sheriff’s Sgt. Vance Stimler told KOIN. “The deputy responded by firing at the suspect.”
The deputy involved is on paid leave, which is standard procedure. He reported being slightly hurt by the knife, but was not taken to the hospital.
Deputies blocked off the entire Bethany Meadows apartment complex Sunday, as the investigation into the shooting began. The Washington County Major Crimes Team is investigating, as well as the Washington County District Attorney’s Office.
Police: knife-wielding man was shot in self-defense
From KPTV.com, September 9, 2012
The Washington County Sheriff’s Office is investigating a deputy-involved shooting in the Bethany area of Washington County.
A sheriff’s representative tells FOX 12 that a deputies responded to a welfare check at an apartment complex in the 16000 block of Northwest Laidlaw just after 3:30 p.m.
Officials said the deputies knocked on the door and made contact with 49-year-old Jeffery Holmes.
Investigators said Holmes initially opened his door slightly to talk with deputies. As deputies continued to talk with Holmes, they said he suddenly opened his door all the way and attacked the deputies with a knife.
One of the deputies opened fire, shooting Holmes at least once.
“I was just sitting on the couch watching TV and I just heard like 5 gunshots go off,” said Garrett Richards, who lives in the apartment complex. “Five minutes later I heard a whole bunch of cop cars coming in and out of the apartments.”
Medics took Holmes to the hospital with life-threatening injuries. Deputies did not have an update on his condition Sunday night.
The deputy who shot Holmes suffered minor injuries in the attack and was placed on administrative leave.
Washington County authorities continue to investigate deputy-involved shooting that injured Bethany man
From The Oregonian, September 10, 2012
Washington County authorities are continuing to investigate a deputy-involved shooting that wounded a 49-year-old Bethany man Sunday afternoon.
Jeffrey Holmes
Jeffrey Holmes, 49, was shot at least once after he attacked a deputy with a knife, said Sgt. Vance Stimler, a Washington County Sheriff’s Office spokesman. The sheriff’s office isn’t releasing the number of times Holmes was shot or the number of rounds the deputy fired.
The sheriff’s office initially released an erroneous spelling of Holmes’ first name.
About 3:35 p.m., deputies responded to the Bethany Meadows Apartments, located in the 16000 block of Northwest Laidlaw Road, after Holmes’ family called to have deputies check on him, Stimler said. Holmes’ family was worried about him, but the sheriff’s office hasn’t released specific information about their concerns.
When deputies arrived, they spoke with Holmes through his door at the apartment complex and urged him to come outside and speak with them. Stimler said when Holmes opened his door, he attacked one of the deputies with a knife.
The deputy who was attacked shot Holmes at least once with his gun in self-defense, according to the sheriff’s office.
Holmes was taken to Legacy Emanuel Medical Center in Portland with life-threatening injuries, said Sgt. Bob Ray, another sheriff’s office spokesman. Ray said Holmes underwent surgery at least once. His condition was not available Monday afternoon.
The deputy, who has not been identified, suffered a small laceration from the knife, Stimler said, and was treated at the scene. Specific information about the deputy’s injury has not been released. It’s unknown what kind of knife Holmes used.
The deputy involved in the shooting has been placed on paid administrative leave, a standard procedure. The Washington County Major Crimes Team and district attorney’s office are leading the investigation, which will be presented to the district attorney’s office for review. The shooting is the fourth officer-involved shooting in Washington County this year and the third to involve sheriff’s deputies.
- In June, a sheriff’s deputy fatally shot Robert Kimball Fox, 52, of Aloha, after authorities say he pointed a “loaded high-power rifle” at deputies and failed to respond to multiple commands to drop the gun.
- In July, two sheriff’s deputies fatally shot Jeffery David Anderson, 56, after he also pointed a loaded rifle toward deputies, authorities said.
- Last month, a Portland police officer fired his weapon at Michael Anthony Tate Jr. in Aloha while trying to arrest him on a felony warrant, according to the sheriff’s office. Authorities have not released specific details about what prompted that shooting, including whether or not Tate was armed.