Deadly Shooting at Homeless Shelter in Portland
At 4:37 p.m., officers learned John Elifritz had stolen a car by force. Calls to 911 continued to come in about Elifritz; one caller said he was engaged in a road rage scenario, tailgating and pointing a black object, believed to be a gun, at him. '
Another caller reported that Elifritz jumped out of a moving vehicle and appeared "drunk or high." Later, there was a report of Elifritz holding a knife to someone's throat.
During the confrontation, a total of eight law enforcement officers fired either live rounds or less lethal rounds designed to incapacitate suspects. Seven of the officers were with Portland Police, and one was a Multnomah County deputy who had been working with PPB's Transit Division. Sgt. Chris Burley declined to say how many officers fired live rounds or how many total rounds were fired.
All of the involved officers have been placed on leave, Burley said. In compliance with rules passed by the Portland City Council last year, all the officers should be interviewed by internal affairs investigators within 48 hours, Burley said.