Date: July 20, 2021
Subject: Joshua Lyle Merritt, 32
Involved Bureau Member: Officer Craig Lehman
On July 20, 2021, at about 9:36 p.m., Portland Police were dispatched to an unwanted person in a convenience store in the 600 block of Northwest Naito Parkway. Prior to arrival, officers were told the man was a white male adult who had taken food without paying then laid down on the floor refusing to leave.
Officers arrived at approximately 9:44 p.m. At approximately 9:52 p.m., an officer, later identified as Officer Craig Lehman, an 8.8 year veteran of the Portland Police Bureau, was involved in a shooting. At about the same time, officers asked for medical aid for the suspect.
Officers spent several minutes trying to reach the suspect who had moved further into the convenience store. They reached him at about 9:56 p.m. and got him medical attention.
The suspect, later identified as 32-year-old Joshua Lyle Merritt, was transported to the hospital by ambulance with a non-life threatening wound. He was later booked into the Multnomah County Detention Center on charges of Unlawful Use of a Weapon and Menacing.
The Multnomah County District Attorney’s Office found the officers acted in self-defense and didn’t present the case to a grand jury for review.
As part of the use of force review process, the Bureau conducts an internal review of the entire incident and the case will go before the Police Review Board (PRB), which is composed of community members, Bureau members and representatives from the Independent Police Review Division.
The Portland Police Bureau's directive outlining the procedures followed after an officer-involved shooting may be found in Directive 1010.10