Posted on 03/15/2012 10:14:05 AM PDT by marktwain
The man shot by Washington County tactical officers in New Columbia Tuesday night had grabbed a gun because he thought intruders were on his property after his wife had checked on their barking dog in their backyard and saw a stranger in dark clothing.
Alberto Flores-Haro, according to relatives and witnesses, did not know that the men surrounding his home and neighborhood Tuesday night were authorities approaching to raid a residence just a few doors down from his home in the 9500 block of North Woolsey Avenue.
"There was someone in our backyard, and my mom called our stepdad," said Daniel Ibarra. "He told me to go upstairs and get the gun."
Ibarra, 17, said he didn't know where it was, and Flores-Haro followed him up the stairs and retrieved it. Ibarra said a stranger came through the home, and left through the front door.
Neighbor Juan Soto Martinez, 16, who lives across a walkway from Flores-Haro's home, said he heard Flores at his front door yelling with a man, who seemed to be outside, on the side of his house. Then, he heard multiple gunshots.
Ibarra found his stepdad collapsed in the front doorway of their home, shot in one arm and twice in the stomach, and called 9-1-1 about 10 p.m.
" I grabbed a rag and put pressure on his forearm," Ibarra recalled, and told his mother to grab a towel from the kitchen and place pressure on Flores' torso wounds.
GS.51SHOT115-02.jpgView full size Ibarra said his family had no idea that the men surrounding their home in tactical uniforms of army green were from the Washington County Sheriff's Office's Tactical Negotiation Team, who were assisting police.
He said of his dad, "I think he just wanted to scare them away. He didn't know who they were."
While his father lay bleeding, Ibarra said he was ordered out of the house.
"Once I stepped outside, I was ordered to get on the ground," said Ibarra, a Roosevelt High School senior.
He said the rest of his family, his mother and four other children from ages 5 and 13, were ordered to get out of the house, and then tactical officers grabbed his stepdad and carried him to a waiting ambulance.
Flores-Haro, 31, remains in serious condition at Legacy Emanuel Medical Center.
In a release this afternoon, Portland police said three members of the Washington County Tactical Negotiations Team were involved in the shooting: one Hillsboro police officer and two Washington County Sheriff's deputies.
While Sgt. Pete Simpson said early today "there was an exchange of gunfire,'' police said later this afternoon that detectives have not determined if Flores-Haro fired any shots at police. Police also said that the officers "repeatedly identified themselves as law enforcement officers.''
"Preliminary information released at the scene was than an exchange of gunfire occurred. However, detectives have been searching for shell casings at the scene, which is lined by a heavily wood area. A handgun was recovered at the scene, but detectives have not determined if the man shot at police.''
Mayor Sam Adams also released a statement: "The City takes incidents such as this very seriously. As with any officer-involved shooting, there will be a thorough investigation and we will make sure every element is examined.''
This morning, Portland police have said only that the man shot by officers had approached police with a handgun as officers were getting ready to serve a search warrant at a nearby, unrelated location.
Simpson said this morning that as police prepared to approach an apartment to execute a search warrant that a man from a nearby apartment emerged with a handgun. Simpson did not know if the man fired first or how many shots officers fired. He said only that "there was an exchange of gunfire." No officer was shot.
Police later in the night did serve a search warrant at a home just doors down from Flores' house on North Woolsey Avenue, and arrested Anthony Bagsby, 20, and Cocoa Tapli, 16, who face accusations of attempted aggravated murder in connection with a Sunday night gang-related shooting and robbery on North Woolsey Avenue.
Portland Lt. Robert King declined to release any more details on the officer-involved shooting. He declined to release the name of the man shot, or explain why police were withholding the name. King also declined to answer whether the tactical officers had identified themselves as police outside Flores' home.
Portland had a mobile command center set up at the site through the night, and left about 10 a.m. today.
Many residents in the neighborhood said they got little sleep after they heard the gunshots. Some reported hearing between four and five, others said six or seven.
Martinez, who lives across from Flores' home, said he was watching TV in his living room, and caring for his younger brothers and sisters because their mom wasn't home at the time.
"I heard like four or five shots," Martinez said. When he looked out his window, "Alberto was laying in the front of his home, bleeding."
Martinez said he told his younger siblings to "get down," and then took them to an upstairs bathroom.
Residents in the area described Flores as a family man and a good neighbor, who worked loading trucks. They described him as in his 30s.
"He's a good neighbor," said Maria Bosyuk, who lives next door to Flores. She said her children heard the shooting and couldn't sleep.
"It sounded like three, then three more" shots, said Michelle Clopton, who lives on North Woolsey Avenue.
As she went to call 9-1-1, she heard police shouting commands to someone on a megaphone."The cops were on a loud speaker, saying 'Come out with your hands up!' Clopton said, who kept peeking out her window.
Another resident who asked not to be named said she was lying in bed when she heard six to seven gunshots. "I grabbed my phone to call police and noticed they were already all outside," she said.
scenephoto.jpgView full sizeMaxine Bernstein/The OregonianHome where Alberto Flores-Haro was shot, pictured far right. Building in foreground is location where tactical officers were readying to raid with a search warrant last night. She said the police orders via megaphone came much later, at least an hour or so: "Come out of the house! Do it now!"
An officer instructed her to stay in the back of her house, she said, and she was worried about the many children in the neighborhood.
"I was sitting in my living room and heard a lot of shots," said Dorine Nafziger, a North Woolsey Avenue resident who lives with her husband and 3-year-old son.
She and her husband went upstairs and looked out their back window.
"We saw the big SWAT tank and a lot of officers in army green suits, helmets and shields," Nafziger said.
She got on Facebook to share information with other neighbors to figure out what was going on. At one point , she said she saw police lead five people from a home in handcuffs.
"It freaks us out," Nafziger said. "It's not the first time something like this has happened in our neighborhood." Sonja Andreas said the gunshots came in what she described as two staccato explosions. Then she said, she heard a lot of yelling and screaming.
She called 9-1-1 and said she was told, "Don't worry, there's a police action happening right now."
But Andreas said she didn't see the usual marked police cars, but a large armored vehicle, and men in what looked like military-type garb.
Tactical teams from Portland, Washington and Clackamas counties routinely rely on each other. Simpson said officers on these teams train with each other and are "fairly interchangeable." Washington County's tactical team is comprised of officers from multiple police agencies and was assisting Portland police last night as Portland's tactical team was in training.
Simpson did not know how many officers fired on the suspect or which agencies they represent.
--Maxine Bernstein
It is unfortunate the man was shot, but the SWAT and police were looking for someone who had committed murder and would be armed and dangerous.
Where did you receive that information?
It is right there in the article if you choose to READ IT!
I did read the article. It seems you're the one who failed to read it.
Try reading it again this time, very slowly, word by word.
I guess one thing would be the biggest, brightest lights you can buy. Light them up, because it’s the police way, and they will think it’s their own buddies making a mistake. They won’t shoot at a bright light, with a voice saying, “Police! Freeze! On the ground”
It’ll go like the scene in EFAD. They’ll think it’s a mistake by their own side. “Put out that light, you moron! We ARE the police!”
But I really doubt they’ll shoot at the 700L light that is blinding them.
Now, their sniper, half way up the block.....I’m not so sure.
Then, how do they justify their multi-million dollar SWAT Team budgets?
Use it or lose it.
In fact, they often consider such warrant arrest "backup" to be "field training under real world conditions."
I kid you not. SWAT Teams that are not used 100s of times a year, lose budget.
SWAT Teams that are used daily for routine police work (ratcheted way up to miltary raid proportions) get their budgets increased.
Follow the money.
You should load it up with a shift key.
Unless you like being viewed as an eight-year-old.
“SWAT Teams that are used daily for routine police work (ratcheted way up to miltary raid proportions) get their budgets increased.
Follow the money.
“SWAT Teams that are used daily for routine police work..”
Routine is right. My post 84 shows what a bunch of not-too-bright cops, and SWAT members can do. No research, or they DID need 10 goons to take down a 130 LB weakling, on a rape allegation (against the former occupant of my house) that turned out to be false, and was soon dismissed.
“
even eight year olds see a coward when they look at you sweetums
So you have only bad things to say about folks who can write properly?
Ghetto-fabulous.
I guess our family would be dead, too. If they were sneaking around like criminals, how would we know?
Not just sneaking around like criminals, but entering their home!
How many people will have their homes invaded before the cry is “Enough!”
No way for your family to know. I do know THIS. The cops had no right, and no reason to go traipsing through that guys house.
Where did you receive that information?
It is right there in the article if you choose to READ IT!
It is, is it?
It seems you're the one who failed to read it.
Where'd ya go slick?
: )
To be honest, I have little sympathy for this pro-biggov, no nothing jackasses like EBH.
Even if it WAS murder(which it wasn’t), why endanger en entire neighborhood? And for God’s sake, what were they THINKING running through an innocent mans house????
These wannabe Rambos need to be PERSONALLY sued. Throw the bozos into personal bankruptcy, then we shall see how tough
they are!!
Roll into a neighborhood, everyone loaded for bear, and innocent concerned guy gets mowed down and nearly shot to death....wtf?
That don't get it in my head...not an acceptable option...Shooting innocents never seems an option to my way of thinking. Ya set it up for this, and ya know it's going to happen.
“Roll into a neighborhood, everyone loaded for bear, and innocent concerned guy gets mowed down and nearly shot to death....wtf? “
I could have been me. I’m sure you read post 84. This was no more than routine police work, and they turned it into
a near-deadly farce!
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