Protesters broke windows at the Oregon Historical Society on April 17, 2021. Widespread violence broke out in downtown Portland after a shooting earlier in the day.
Sergio Olmos
Demonstrators smashing windows, burning companies in, and setting fires during demonstrations in Portland, Oregon caused significant damage, and authorities urged downtown businesses to watch the security video to help police arrest more rioters.
Police said they have so far arrested four people after announcing a riot during Friday night demonstrations after police fatally shot a man while responding to reports of a person with a gun.
“This destruction is inconsistent with community values and has no legitimacy. It is harming our city, county and state, ”Multnomah County District Attorney Mike Schmidt said in a statement on Saturday. “Multiple criminal investigations are underway to identify those responsible for last night’s crime.”
Officers dispersed the crowd late on Friday so that fire crews can put out fires before spreading in extreme fire-risk conditions. In a statement, police said the damage from the nighttime violence “appears to be significant.”
There are no exact estimates yet of the damage to buildings caused by the fires, but police say looters stole about $ 2,000 worth of products from a Nike store before security personnel on site could stop the theft.
The downtown vandalism came after police fired earlier Friday and was part of vigil and demonstrations already scheduled for the night in the name of people killed in police shootings across the country. They include 13-year-old Adam Toledo from Chicago and Daunte Wright, a black man in suburban Minneapolis.
On Saturday afternoon, Portland police identified the man who had been gunned down by police in a city park on Friday as Douglas Delgado, 46. Delgado died of a single gunshot wound, authorities said.
Two officers fired a 40mm device firing non-lethal projectiles, and an officer – an eight-year veteran – fired a gun, police said in a statement. Police identified the officer who fired his gun as Zachary Delong. According to the authorities, he has paid administrative leave.
Authorities also made it clear that the person fatally shot by police was not a person in psychological distress whose behavior prompted a call to the police, as previously reported. The man, who, according to witnesses, was shirtless in traffic, was taken to a hospital for treatment of a possible drug overdose, according to the police.
The police investigation into the shooting was hampered by a crowd of “moderately aggressive people” who appeared at the park within two hours of the shooting. The detainees could be charged with assaulting a public security officer into criminal mischief.
There were no reports of injuries to the police.
As investigators worked the shooting site and gathered over a covered body nearly 300 feet away, a crowd of over 150 people – many dressed in black and some with helmets, goggles and gas masks – gathered behind the scene. crime scene tape, chanting and yelling at cops in front of them.
The crowd later marched through the park, tore off the police band, and came face to face with officers dressed in riot gear. Police left the park at around 3:30 pm, and the crowd eventually stood at a nearby intersection to block traffic and sing.
Police said they used pepper spray on protesters to keep them away.
Since the murder of George Floyd in Minneapolis by police in May, there has been much protest in Portland, often involving violent clashes between officers and protesters.
During the summer there were demonstrations of more than 100 days in a row. On April 13, a crowd lit a fire outside the city’s police union headquarters after recent deadly police shootings in Chicago and Minneapolis.
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