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November I4, 2007
Police Shooting Leads
to $500,000 Settlement
For man shot in back and left dying
T h e C ity o f P o rtla n d has allow param edics to treat him
agreed to pay a $5(M),(M)() se ttle ­ p rio r to his death.
T he law y er said prev io u s
m ent to the fam ily o f a man
co
m
p lain ts against the sniper.
killed by a police sniper i n 2005.
R aym ond G w e rd e r was su i­ O fficer L eo B esner, have in­
cid a l and had th re a te n e d to c lu d e d ta se rin g a m an w ho
shoot police if they cam e inside was attem p ting to restrain a
his n o rth east P o rtlan d hom e. w om an w ho had been th re a t­
He was shot in the back o utside en in g people w ith a knife in
the hom e w hile he w as on the 2002; p ep p er-spraying an a n ti­
phone w ith a police n egotiator, w ar p ro te sto r standing on a
side w alk w ith a
en d in g a 9 0 -m in u te
sign in 2003; and
sta n d o ff.
slam m ing a te e n ­
The police sniper
ager into a w all
told investigators he
w ho had been
saw the 30-year-old
read in g a n e w s­
G w erder appear to
paper on the sid e ­
aim his gun as if he
w a lk in A p ril
w as "h u n tin g ” for
2003.
som ething to shoot.
H e s a id th e
T he o fficer said
o ffic e r's 13-year
he fe a re d th a t if
tenure on the p o ­
G w erd er w ent in ­ Raymond Gwerder
lice force has now
s id e th e tr ip le x
house, h e 'd harm a m other and cost taxp ay ers about $1 m il­
h e rtw o c h ild re n in an adjoining lion for the cases in w hich he
has been involved.
unit.
Robert J. King, president of
A M ultnom ah C ounty grand
the
Portland Police Association,
ju ry review ed the shooting and
found no crim inal w rongdoing. sent out his own release, saying
A tto r n e y T o m S te e n s o n . Steenson used his release to at­
w ho represen ted G w e rd e r's e s­ tack a "good and experienced"
tate, announced the settlem ent officer and to "presumably Haunt
a settlem ent."
in a new s release.
In an in terview w ith T he
“ It w as a flaw ed police o p ­
eration," Steenson said. "H e was O reg o n ian n ew sp ap er. K ing
shot in the back at the sam e said B e sn e r has u n d e rg o n e
tim e he w as coop eratin g with ex ten siv e training and p a rtic i­
pated in h igh-risk searches.
police.”
"H e 'sd e m o n stra te d restraint
S te e n so n sa id p o lic e left
G w erd er lying on the ground and p ro fe s s io n a lis m ," K ing
dying for 20 m inutes after he said, adding that h e 'd never
w as shot. O fficers w ere also been involved in a shooting
accused o f taserin g him after w hile a m em ber o f a police
the fatal shot and refusing to special tactics team .
r
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Wind Gusts Slam City Streets
A mid-autumn storm whipped up more than 40-mile-per-hour winds throughout the Portland-metro area Mon­
day, splintering trees such as this one on North Williams Avenue that crashed into two parked cars. Power
outages were also experienced throughout the metro area. Less wind and more rain was forecast for the
remainder o f the week.
Troops Earn U S Citizenship
Sixty U.S. service members
from countries including Cuba.
Ethiopia, the Philippines and Viet­
nam becam e A m erican citizens
on Monday during a cerem ony in
Afghanistan.
Maj. Gen. David Rodriguez, the
commander of U.S. forces in Af­
ghanistan. congratulated the sol­
diers on their new citizenship and
thanked them for the oath they
took to defend the United States.
"Today they will sw ear a sec­
ond oath to the country they've
a lre a d y p le d g e d to d e fe n d ,"
Rodriguez said at a cerem ony
coinciding with Veterans Day.
"An oath o f allegiance to the na­
tion they are supporting as a
m em ber o f her arm ed forces.
Members of U.S. military take their oath of allegiance to
become U.S. citizens during a naturalization ceremony at a
U.S. military camp in Iraq. (AP Photo)
deployed in harm 's way. defend­
ing the citizens of the world from
terrorism .
"There is no better way to
recognize the sacrifices they are
making here than to grant them
the right to call them selves U.S.
citizens," Rodriguez said at the
main U.S. base. Bagram.
A day earlier, more than 150
A m erican soldiers in Iraq were
sw orn in as U.S. citizens during
a cerem ony at the Balad Air Base
in Balad, north o f Baghdad.
Citizenship is not a require­
ment to join the U.S. military, but
serving in the arm ed forces is a
way to qualify for citizenship,
sa id sp o k e sm a n M aj. C h ris
Belcher.
and the discounts you deserve. Nobody takes care o f von like
State fa rm , (ionlact me. I'll prove it.
Witness Says Simpson Wanted ‘Heat’
Michael David Holton, Agent
7223 SW Macadam Avenue
Portland. OR 97219-3076
Bus 503 517 9090
www.michaelholton.com
LIK E A G O O D N E IG H B O R , S I A l t I A R M IS TH E R E .
Providing Insurance anil Financial Services
Statela
J
V.
(A P ) — O n e o f th e m en
w ho
a c c o m p a n ie d
O .J .
S im p so n to a h o te l-ro o m c o n ­
f r o n ta tio n w ith tw o s p o r ts
m e m o ra b ilia d e a le rs te stifie d
T u e sd a y th a t the fo rm e r fo o t­
ball sta r w a n te d th e m to brin g
"h e a t" to sh o w th e y m e a n t
b u sin e ss.
S im p so n 's g o lfin g b u d d y ,
W a lte r A le x a n d e r, a lso to ld
th e c o u rt th a t S im p s o n in ­
s tr u c te d C h a r le s " S p e n c e r"
M c C lin to n to d raw his w eapon
b e fo re the g ro u p e n te re d the
room .
"It chan g ed the w hole plan,"
said A le x a n d e r, w h o ac c e p ted
a p lea d eal to te stify a g a in st
S im p so n . "A t first the plan
w as w e w ere to ju s t show the
g u n s. B ut rig h t b e fo re w e
w en t in to th e ro o m he to ld
S p e n c e r to put the gu n in his
hand."
T he testim ony T uesday w as
part o f a prelim inary hearing to
decide w h e th e rth e re isen o u g h
O. J. Simpson
evid en ce for the fo rm er N FL
star and tw o o th e r m en to stand
trial for arm ed robbery and
o th e r charges.
S im p so n h a s sa id he in ­
te n d e d o n ly to re trie v e item s
th a t had he said w e re sto len
fro m him by a fo rm e r a g e n t,
in c lu d in g the suit he w o re the
d a y he w as a c q u itte d o f m u r­
d e r in 1995 in the sla y in g s o f
h is w i f e , N i c o l e B r o w n
S im p s o n , a n d h e r f r ie n d ,
R o n a ld G o ld m a n .
War Costs
Pegged at
$1.6 Trillion
carin g about our community
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priority, but it isn't our only pnorrty. Enhancing
the livability and viability o f the community we
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Giving back to our community by
sharing with local organizations such
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Black Parent Initiative
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A fter nearly a century o f service to our
customers, we've forged strong bonds with
the communities we serve. W e appreciate
the power o f partnerships to educate youth,
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improve public health, provide cultural
experiences, protect the environment, increase
public safety and strengthen the economy.
and Family Center
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• SMART
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PACIFIC P O W E R
I
I
(AP) — The economic costs of
the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan
are esti mated to total $ 1.6 tri 11 ion —
roughly double the amount the
White House has requested thus
far, according to a new report by
Democrats on Congress' Joint Eco­
nomic Committee.
The report, released Tuesday,
attempted to put a price tag on the
two conflicts, including “hidden"
costs such as interest payments on
the money borrowed to pay for the
wars, lost investment, the expense
of long-term health care for injured
veterans and the cost of oil market
disruptions.
The $1.6 trillion figure, for the
period from 2002 to 2008. translates
into a cost of $20,900 for a family of
four, the report said. The Bush ad­
ministration has requested $804
billion for the Iraq and Afghanistan
wars combined, the report stated.
For the Second Gulf War only,
total economic costs were estimated
at $1.3 trillion for the period from
2002 to 2008.