A Multnomah County grand jury has found no criminal wrongdoing in the nonfatal police shooting December 27 of Marcus Lagozzino, a machete-wielding man threatening to commit “suicide by cop,” ruling that a Portland officer was justified when he shot Lagozzino three times less than a minute after cops made contact with him.

The shooting by Officer Bradley Clark was the sixth by police in 2010, and is one of eight overall since last January, nearly all of them involving men battling mental illness or addiction issues.

And, noting that Lagozzino, 34, had rushed officers with his machete and had threatened his parents, who called 911, the grand jury charged him instead with “several counts of assault in the fourth degree, harassment, and menacing.” (Read our post after all eight officers involved in the shooting were identified.)

According to the District Attorney’s Office, criminal charges will be deferred while Lagozzino continues receiving treatment for his injuries at the Oregon Health Sciences Center. As such, the police bureau, the hospital, and the county’s Mental Health and Addiction Services are “coordinating a safety plan for Mr. Lagozzino.” The DA’s office also said his parents have “obtained a restraining order.” That continuing process means no grand jury transcripts will be released for the time being.

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...

4 replies on “Grand Jury Clears Cops in Shooting of Mentally Ill Man with Machete, Charges Him With Assault”

  1. what’s Mike Skank covering up this time by NOT releasing the Grand Jury trans cripts? till this clown is bounced on to a much needed RETIREMENT we’ll get no real justice when it comes to abuse of power/cop citizen-killings issues, and we should take heart in the fact he’s an old man and a has-been that will sooner or later usher him on to the much needed retirement…praise God for old age crazy coots that are slipping daily into their dotage and out the door…

  2. The transcripts are not being released to protect the rights of Mr. Lagozzino. He has the right to not have information that may prejudice a potential jury released by authorities. Some people spend far to much time looking for a conspiracy where none exists. Take the aluminum foil off the windows and you might see some daylight!

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