Page A2
July 18, 2001
(Ttjv Jîortlanô (Phevrtu'r
i Police News/Vancouver
Mother Kills Baby in Park
A mother is facing charges of
aggravated murder for killing her
20-month year old baby in a
Gresham park. The mother is
identified as 32-year-old Sharon
Weston. Her daughter is Alexis
Mariah Lopez.
D etectiv es e x p la in ed that
Weston was on a supervised visit
on Wednesday, July 11, when she
ran away from the state case­
worker to strangle her own child
with a shoelace. The mother later
explained that she committed the
murder because she wanted her
daughter out o f pain.
Weston later interrupted a fu­
neral at the Gresham Funeral
Chapel, saying that she had killed
her child in a park to a group o f
about 25 eyewitnesses. Among
those attending a funeral was a
C lackam as C ounty sh e riff's
deputy.
A secretary at the funeral home
noted that Weston appeared up­
set and crying.
W eston w as h eld at the
Multnomah County Jail and ar­
raigned on Thursday afternoon.
I
sh o w
no
e m o t io n
T he
L IK E
I
SCRATCH.
upon
v ic to r y .
m in i- m a r t
guy
does
not
TO BE HUGGED.
I
AM AN ATHLETE.
Transient Injured, Suspect Unkown
Portland Police Bureau Homi­
cide Investigators, in cooperation
with Crime Stoppers, are asking
for help in locating witnesses to
an altercation between two men
that resulted in one o f the m en’s
death.
On Wednesday, May 9, at ap­
proximately 6p.m. intheevening,
on S.E. 30th Ave. and Hawthorne
Blvd., near the Express Grocery,
45-year-old Joseph Nesby, who
was transient, was seriously in­
jured in an altercation with an­
other man.
Nesby was transorted to a lo­
cal hospital and later to a care
facility, where he eventually died
from the injuries received in the
altercation thirty days prior.
Investigators believe there
were several people in the area at
the time that witnessed the alter­
cation. Investigators are asking
for anyone who witnessed the
altercation to call either Sergeant
Paul Larson at 503/823-0835,
Sergeant John Brooks at 503/823-
0757, or Crime Stoppers at 503/
823-4357 (HELP).
Joseph Nesby
Police Shootings, New
Survey Draw Concern
S tory continued from F ront P age
in stan ce, 16 p o lic e s h o o tin g s in ­
c lu d e d fiv e f a ta litie s , a c c o rd in g to
P o rtla n d P o lic e B u re a u fig u re s .
R e g a rd le s s o f th e s ta tis tic s , o f ­
fic e rs a re fin d in g th e m s e lv e s o n
th e d e fe n s iv e .
“ T h e re is a c o n c e r n . . . th a t th e y
a re b e in g p re ju d g e d fo r th e ir a c ­
tio n s ,” P o lic e C h i e f M a r k K ro e k e r
sa id . “ T h a t th e ir m o tiv e s a re b e in g
m is p e rc e iv e d .”
J a c k L e v in , a c rim in o lo g is t at
N o r th e a s te r n U n iv e r s ity , s a id a
fo rc e w ill o f te n b e p e r c e iv e d as
tr ig g e r - h a p p y w h e n s e v e r a l in c i­
d e n ts h a p p e n in a s h o r t tim e .
“ T h e p r o b le m is th e s e k in d s o f
e n c o u n te r s d o n o t s p r e a d e v e n ly
o v e r 12 m o n th s ,” L e v in sa id . “ T h e y
ca n e a s ily o c c u r ra n d o m ly in a sh o rt
p e r io d o f tim e , m a k in g it a p p e a r
th a t p o lic e a re s h o o tin g e v e r y th in g
in s ig h t a n d th a t J e s s e J a m e s h a s
j o i n e d th e fo rc e . B u t th e tr u th is, i f
th e s e e p is o d e s h a d h a p p e n e d w ith
g re a te r in te rv a ls in b e tw e e n , n o o n e
w o u ld s e e a p a tt e r n .”
S ta te la w s a y s o ff ic e rs c a n u se
d e a d ly fo rc e to p ro te c t th e m s e lv e s
o r o th e r s fro m w h a t th e y re a s o n ­
a b ly b e lie v e to b e a n im m e d ia te
th r e a t o f d e a th o r s e r io u s p h y s ic a l
in ju ry .
C ity o ff ic e rs r e c e iv e a b o u t 80
h o u rs o f fire a rm s tr a in in g in th e
b a sic a c a d e m y a n d e ig h t ad d itio n a l
h o u rs o f fire a rm s tr a in in g d u rin g
th e ir a n n u a l in - s e rv ic e r e f re s h e r
tra in in g . T h e y a re tr a in e d o n th e
im p o rta n c e o f m a in ta in in g d is ta n c e
a n d c o v e r fro m an a rm e d th re a t an d
a re p u t th ro u g h s c e n a rio s w ith tu rn ­
in g ta rg e ts to le a rn h o w to r e c o g ­
n iz e w h a t’s a th re a t a n d w h a t is no t.
“ N o t e v e ry th in g w e d o is tr a in to
s h o o t,” s a id P o rtla n d S g t. S te v e
B u c h te l, a fire a rm s tr a in in g s u p e r ­
v is o r w h o w a s s h o t in th e le ft h a n d
in 1 9 9 6 d u rin g a s t a n d o f f o u ts id e a
c o n v e n ie n c e sto re .
“ W e a s k p e o p le to ju s ti f y th e ir
a c tio n s in tr a in in g a n d a rtic u la te
w h y th e y d id o r d id n o t sh o o t. W e
h a v e n ’t ju s t th ro w n th e s e p o lic ie s
to g e th e r. W e ’re n o t j u s t w in g in g it
o u t th e r e .”
T h a t tr a in in g d id n ’t h e lp B ru c e
B ro w n e , 4 0 , o f V a n c o u v e r. P o lic e
s h o t B ro w n e tw ic e la s t w e e k a fte r
h e w re s tle d a s e m ia u to m a tic h a n d ­
g u n a w a y fro m a te e n - a g e a s s a ila n t
a t a N o rth e a s t P o rtla n d g a s s ta tio n .
T h e o ff ic e r w h o re s p o n d e d o rd e re d
B ro w n e to g e t d o w n a n d fire d six
s h o ts a t h im , u n a w a re th a t B ro w n e
w a s n o t th e a g g re s s o r.
Ja m e s F y fe , a re tire d N e w Y o rk
C ity p o lic e lie u te n a n t a n d c rim in a l
ju s ti c e p r o f e s s o r a t T e m p le U n i­
v e rs ity in P h ila d e lp h ia , b e lie v e s th e
m o s t im p o rta n t train in g p o lic e a g e n ­
c ie s c a n p ro v id e o ff ic e rs is ta c tic a l
tr a in in g in h o w to a p p ro a c h p o te n ­
tia lly d e a d ly s itu a tio n s w ith th e
le a s t th r e a t o f in ju ry .
“ T h e m ilita r y a n d fire s e r v ic e
d o n ’t c o m m it th e m s e lv e s to life -
th r e a te n in g s itu a tio n s u n til th e y
k n o w e v e ry th in g p o s s ib le a b o u t
s e rio u s game, s e rio u s money.
k
Overall odds vary by game Must be 18 to purchase Be a smart player
limit. If you or someone you know has a problem with gambling, call 800-547-6133
Come visit us on the web
at www.portlandobserver.com
Some banks charge you
for cancelled checks even if
you have free checking.
¿SB*..:. ■
th e s itu a tio n . T h a t’s w h a t w e try to
g e t th e p o lic e to d o ,” F y fe sa id .
“ T h e y sh o u ld try to a n tic ip a te w h a t
th e o th e r in d iv id u a l m ig h t d o ."
Grant to Target Violent
and Drug-Related Crime
S enators G ordon Sm ith and
Ron W yden a n n o u n ced that
the O regon S tate P o lic e has
been aw ard ed a grant o f $6.3
m illion. T his g rant w ill assist
the state p o lic e in im p lem e n t­
ing sp ecific p ro g ram s th at e n ­
hance and im p ro v e the e ffi­
ciency and e ffe c tiv e n e ss o f
the O regon c rim in al ju stic e
system . S p ecial em p h asis is
placed on c o n tro llin g vio len t
and d ru g -re la te d crim e and
fosterin g m ulti-ju risd ictio n al
efforts to support national drug
control policies.
“ The State Police work hard
to protect O re g o n ’s citizens,
but they need m ore resources
to e ffectiv ely target the per­
vasive problem s o fv io le n t and
d ru g -re la te d c rim e ,” S m ith
said. “ T his funding w ill go a
long way tow ard assistin g the
state police in th eir diligent
efforts to keep our citizens
safe and to im prove the q u al­
ity o f life for all O reg o n ian s,”
“T here is no m ore im por­
tant task for law enforcem ent
than staying one step ahead o f
the violent drug trade in our
s ta te ,” W yden said. “ I am
proud to support the O regon
D epartm ent o f State po lice
plan to m ake O regon safer.”
Portland Police Fire at Wrong Suspect
PO R T L A N D (A P ) - It appears that a
m an w ho w as shot b y Portland police at
a gas station and convenience store last
week, w as the victim o f unlucky circum ­
stance.
Police w ounded 40-year-old Bruce
Brow ne o f V ancouver at Fast T n p gas
station and convenience store on 5829
N.E. M artin Luther K ing Jr. Blvd. after he
apparently m anaged to take a gun from a
m an w ho w as threatening him.
B row ne told police later that 19-year-
old Lam ar H am s began to harass him
inside the store, calling him nam es and
cursing at him for no apparent reason.
A s Brow ne returned to his car, H am s
I
allegedly pulled out a pistol. A fter a
struggle, Brow ne m anaged to take the
gun from Harris.
Brow ne was holding the gun when
police arrived, and Officer Ken Duilio, 28,
fired six rounds, hitting Brow ne in the
right arm and right thigh. It is not yet clear
w hy the officer fired.
H owever, police say Brow ne refused
to drop the gun and lay down. Portland
Police C h ief M ark K roeker says he is
investigating and that there is videotape
from the convenience store that shows
what happened.
“W e have substantial videotape from
the convenience store which captured
«
the entire incident right there in the store,”
So where's the free?
K roeker said. “ I have not seen this video­
tape, but I understand it’squitedefinitive
as to w hat happened.”
He expressed the concerns o f a num ­
ber o f officers he said he has talked to in
the past few weeks in regards to the
public’s perceptions o f police actions.
Brow ne is listed in fair condition at
Lmanuel Hospital and willnotbecharged
with any crime.
Kroeker visited him in the hospital last
week. Harris w as acting “irrationally"
when he was arrested for unlaw till pos-
sessionofafirearm .m enacing and unlaw­
ful use o f a weapon, K roeker said.
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