Updated January 30, 2025 8:45 am
February 19th will mark three years since a mass shooting at an organized demonstration at Normandale Park that forever changed Portland’s history. In an unprovoked gun attack on a group of protest march volunteers, June Knightly was murdered, and several others were wounded, one critically. In all likelihood, more people would’ve been hurt, if not killed, had it not been for the efforts of a participant in the demonstration who fired at the shooter and ended the threat.
Among the injured that night was a young woman who went by the name Deg. Her injuries were so severe that she required the support of a ventilator for the remainder of her life. Last summer, Deg chose to be taken off that machine, and she passed away.
Since then, I was able to sit down with Deg’s mother, who shared with me her immense love for her daughter and the importance of transparency and empathy in the aftermath of this tragedy in our community. I have also met with community members to hear their concerns about the lasting impacts on the broader community.
With the benefit of these insights, I want to take this opportunity to acknowledge the incredible pain and trauma this tragedy has caused, particularly to the survivors and the families of those we lost. In addition, I want to recognize the role the Portland Police Bureau played in exacerbating that pain.
Following the shooting, PPB issued a news release calling the perpetrator of this violent act a homeowner when, in fact, he was not. Additionally, the victims were mischaracterized as armed protesters, when, in fact, they were unarmed traffic safety volunteers. While we later corrected our written statement to identify the perpetrator as an armed area resident, we did not clarify that this was an unprovoked attack on an innocent group of people. We understand the harm this error caused, and for that, we are deeply sorry.
You may have heard me say before that PPB is a learning organization. It’s my belief that we will learn and grow from this matter in a way that allows us to better serve the community—a community both Deg and June were such a big part of.
My heart goes out to their families and loved ones and everyone impacted by this awful event. I hope for nothing more than peace and healing for all involved.
**** Original Message Below ****
PPB is grateful that justice was served in this case, and commend the Homicide Unit, Forensic Evidence Division, and others who put in countless hours of investigation in collaboration with the Multnomah County District Attorney’s office to reach this conclusion. We have been victim-focused in every stage of the investigation.
As stated in the original press releases, some of the initial information PPB disseminated to media was found to be incorrect, and as soon as we became aware of the inaccuracy, we corrected it. We also explained the reason that the information we had was wrong. There was a lot of information that we were unable to obtain at the initial scene, including getting witness statements and evidence. It was a complicated incident, and investigators were piecing the puzzle together without having all the pieces.
UPDATE #4: Normandale Park Murder Suspect Booked Into Jail
Ultimately, additional information came to light due to a meticulous and diligent investigation. This is a good example of why the Public Information Office has to be so careful about what information we release initially about an incident. It’s not unusual to receive information in the beginning stages of an investigation that turns out to be untrue or only partially true. Our detectives approach every investigation from an objective point of view. They take care in sorting through the facts of the case, gathering witness statements and evidence, and allowing that evidence to lead them to the truth about what took place.
We know the public and the media want details about these cases right away, especially one as shocking and impactful as this shooting which involved multiple victims. This is an example of why we ask for patience from our community. We need time to work through the investigation to get those details. If we release information too soon, and it turns out to be incorrect, then it raises questions about the integrity of the investigation. Public trust is critical to what we do. The most appropriate place to release details is in the prosecution phase, in open court, which is ultimately what happened here.