Portland Police kill again after ineffective Taser

According to Police chief Mike Reese, the suspect had 33 prior arrests including robbery and burglary in California and Oregon.

The 60 year old homeless man who's name is yet to be released was killed just after 4pm Sunday afternoon in an abandoned carwash where he apparently stayed, between Powell and Division on 82nd in Southeast Portland.

He allegedly threatened a local security guard at a business on the intersection of 82nd and SE Powell and was shot dead when he refused to stop advancing at police with a knife in the area of the carwash.

He was discovered by police at the carwash and as a result of tasing him with no effect, 2 officers responded by using their handguns.

This has been the 4th police shooting in just over 2 weeks here in Portland.

On Saturday January 1st an officer fired a shot outside a Portland nightclub. His aim, which missed, was at a suspect who killed the bouncer for Club 915, Ruben Mata.

On Monday December 27th police fired a taser, beanbag shotgun and an AR-15 rifle at Southwest Portland man Marcus Lagozzino who was wielding a machete. The suspect remains hospitalised in critical condition.

On Friday December 17th, officers shot at least 16 rounds, killing Darryel Ferguson in the hallway outside his apartment in Southeast, after he reportedly threatened neighbors with a gun that turned out to be a fake weapon.

Mayor of Portland, Sam Adams, who also plays the police commissioner role has said in response to the officer involved shootings that the bureau would remain "dedicated to continued improvement" in maintaing law and order in as "peaceful a way as possible."

Last year saw many deaths from officer involved shootings, concerning mentally unstable and homeless people.

On January 29th an unarmed black male, Aaron Campbell was shot in the back with an AR-15 by officer Ronald Frashour whilst he was surrendering to the police. Reportedly officers had removed their ear pieces, shooting first with bean bag rounds then releasing a K-9 attack dog before the fatal shooting.

Jack Collins, a distraught homeless man with self inflicted wounds was shot dead in Hoyt Arboretum on March 22nd after he failed to drop a razor blade he was holding. Four shots were fired with the fatal blow striking an artery in his Pelvis.

James P. Chasse Jr., a 42-year-old man with schizophrenia was knocked to the ground after running from officers who suspected he was urinating in a street. He later died in police custody from blunt force trauma to the chest on September 17th 2006.

Another case of officers not being able to control a situation effectively happened in November when a 12 year old girl was shot with a beanbag on a MAX tram platform after she punched an officer in the mouth whilst they struggled to take her into custody.