January 30: This story has been updated to include the names of the officers involved.

December 29: This story has been updated to identify the victim and clarify additional details.

A man suspected of shoplifting from a Target store at Mall 205 was shot and killed by Portland police Wednesday afternoon.

Police say East Precinct officers were dispatched to the department store on SE Washington Street at 3:33 pm on a complaint of a suspect trying to steal merchandise. Police said the man, identified Friday as 33-year-old Tyrone Lee Johnson II, had an active warrant related to a prior case, which led them to move in and arrest him in the parking lot as he left the store. 

According to the Portland Police Bureau (PPB), Johnson started running toward SE 96th Avenue, when a “confrontation” ensued, leading officers to open fire on him. Police have yet to clarify what happened in the moments before they fired at Johnson. He died at the scene.

Police said they found a handgun near Johnson when they approached after he was shot.

Police cite active warrant

Police later told the Mercury that Johnson's warrant was for a separate, unrelated robbery at a different location and "was not recent." It’s unclear which specific warrant officers tried to arrest Johnson on, or how they knew his criminal history prior to arriving on scene. PPB declined to provide additional information when asked about the warrant, citing an ongoing investigation.

Records show Johnson had an active warrant related to a probation violation. He had a no-contact order with his girlfriend, after previous episodes of violence. Johnson also struggled with substance use, and had been in and out of jail for more than a decade. Earlier this year, he told police he wanted treatment.

He had recently served jail time in Klamath Falls, after being convicted of being a felon in possession of a firearm. Johnson was supposed to be transferred to drug treatment after his jail sentence, but that never happened.

Scott Carter, an attorney representing Johnson, told the court in March that Johnson's probation officer "refuses to place [him] in inpatient treatment pursuant to the negotiation." Carter argued Johnson "wasn't getting the benefit of his bargain" and asked the court to give him credit for the jail time he'd served so far, and release him. The Klamath County District Attorney's Office didn't object, and Johnson was released in late March.

But in May, a probation officer reported Johnson violated the terms of his probation, and he was ordered to complete treatment with Volunteers of America. Johnson walked out of the treatment program early, leaving two days after he got there, court records indicate.

In June, Johnson's girlfriend called the treatment program to ask if he could go back, after a series of back-and-forth messages between Johnson and his probation officer. The officer noted in court documents that Johnson promised to check himself back in to the treatment program, but never did. 

Shooting remains under investigation

After the shooting, several areas of Mall 205 were closed off to traffic, as confused shoppers continued to enter and exit the Target and nearby stores.

A security guard at the store declined to give any information about the shooting.

None of the officers on scene were injured. PPB Sgt. Kevin Allen noted three officers used deadly force, two of whom are with the bureau’s Focused Intervention Team. Each of them remains on paid administrative leave, which is standard practice following police shootings. The officers involved in the shooting have since been identified as Officers John Bartlett, Adi Ramic, and Brian Wheeler. 

 

A handgun recovered at the scene of a deadly police shooting
near a Target store at Mall 205. portland police bureau

Portland Police Chief Bob Day called the incident “a sobering reminder of the dangers of policework.”

“Use of deadly force by the police always has a significant impact on the members of the police bureau, the family of the involved person, and our whole community,” Day said in a statement released by the bureau Wednesday evening.  

Wednesday’s deadly shooting by police is the fourth fatal officer-involved shooting this year and the second time police have shot and killed someone this month. On December 6, officers responded to a theft of electricity call near an industrial park in Northeast Portland, where they shot 27-year-old Isaac Seavey near an RV parked across the street from a food processing plant.

Police released limited details about the shooting Wednesday night, noting they were “working with detectives” to determine what could be confirmed about the incident. 

“It's critically important to maintain public trust by only revealing confirmed information rather than speculation, and any good investigation involves taking meticulous steps, especially in this early stage,” Sgt. Allen stated via email to the Mercury.