DA Schmidt Hires Outside Attorney to Investigate Gresham Officer Shooting
Multnomah County District Attorney Mike Schmidt has hired a private practice attorney to review the death investigation of Israel Berry, a man killed by a Gresham police officer nearly a year ago.
Berry, 49, was killed by Gresham police officer James Doyle on May 31 in Southeast Portland. Almost a year after his death, the details surrounding the incident remain hazy. What we do know: Doyle and other Gresham officers were assisting Portland Police Bureau (PPB) officers that Sunday evening due to PPB's preoccupation with racial justice protests occurring at the same time. Around 9:30 pm, Doyle and several Portland officers responded to a 911 call of a disturbance near SE Powell and 122 Ave.
At the scene, they discovered Berry driving up and down the street, honking his car horn. According to witnesses, police used their vehicles to block the street, preventing Berry's driving. Not long after, officers pointed their weapons at Berry in his car, and Doyle pulled the trigger. Berry was pronounced dead at the scene. It's still unknown if Berry had a weapon on him at the time, or what other information prompted Doyle to fire. Doyle has been on paid administrative leave since the shooting, and Multnomah County has yet to convene a grand jury to determine whether Doyle was within his legal rights to use force against Berry.
Schmidt has appointed local criminal defense attorney Samuel Kauffman to serve as a "co-lead prosecutor" in collaboration with Multnomah County prosecutors in reviewing Berry's death investigation and presenting the case to a grand jury within the next month.
Read more: https://www.portlandmercury.com/blogtown/2021/05/05/33245226/da-schmidt-hires-outside-attorney-to-investigate-gresham-officer-shooting