In a pair of statements issued just minutes ago, Police Chief Mike Reese and Mayor Sam Adams, the city’s police commissioner, confirmed that they have decided to fire Ron Frashour, the officer who shot and killed Aaron Campbell with an assault rifle outside Campbell’s Northeast Portland home in January.

Reese and Adams also have decided to issue 80-hour unpaid suspensions to three other cops involved the death: Officer Ryan Lewton, whose beanbag rounds many police reform advocates insist contributed just as much to Campbell’s death by making him flinch, and Sergeants John Birkinbine and Liani Reyna.

In his statement, Reese said:

“I have decided the use of force and less lethal force were out of the Bureau’s policy. … My decision was based on the significant policy violations and performance issues that occurred during this incident. This was a difficult decision because ultimately, I believe each Bureau member involved was attempting to do their best to resolve a complex situation. However, as Chief, I must address the significant issues that were brought forth in the Bureau’s internal reviews and hold the involved members accountable.”

Read the internal police documents underpinning the decision here. Stay tuned for more updates.

Denis C. Theriault is the Portland Mercury's News Editor. He writes stories about City Hall and the Portland Police Bureau, focusing on issues like homelessness, police oversight, insider politics, and...

12 replies on “BREAKING: Mayor, Police Chief Officially Announce Firing of Officer Who Shot and Killed Aaron Campbell”

  1. They need to fire Reyna and Birkinbine. The officers in charge of the scene are more responsible than any individual actors.

    But I am happy to see some ‘serious’ repurcusions.

    Hmm… what’s the over/under on the police union doing some sort of misguided march on City Hall and thereby further eroding any goodwill they might have had with the citizenery?

  2. wonder if the PPB/PPA nutjobbies will be out wearing “I AM RON FRASHOUR” T-shirts like they did when Chrissy Hump was rumored to be about to be fired???? What happened to “birds of a feather flock together” mentality that
    so defines the copsters here?????

  4. I hope this firing doesn’t get undone by the arbitrator. I am still looking forward to hearing what discipline the road rage twins get.

  6. If Ron Frashour isn’t charged with murder now then there is no justice. Losing your job is a small price to pay for killing another human being. Lewton, Birkinbine, and Reyna should all lose their jobs. An unpaid vacation isn’t punishment for bad judgement, decisions, and actions that led to an unwarranted death.

  7. @Stu: Nope. The Grand Jury already deliberated and passed on pressing charges back in February. No new evidence has come to light that would re-open the case.

  8. I’m glad the city is now willing to fire bad police officers. It has never done this before in the entire history of the city. Now it has, as it should. The Mayor and the Chief deserve kudos. I haven’t always liked them, but lately I’ve been impressed — gun control plans, firing bad police officers, a zillion jobs created thanks to business recruitment — they are on a roll!

  10. I’m certainly not an attorney, but it seems like this would open up the possibility of a civil suit against Frashour, much like what happened to OJ Simpson.

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