Video footage released Thursday shows the moments leading up to the fatal shooting of a man and a police K9 in Southeast Portland on September 24.
Portland Police Bureau (PPB) released body-worn camera footage from two officers, showing portions of a multi-agency pursuit that led to Eddie Brandon Todd Campbell, 39, running through the parking lot of a motel before police unleashed a K9 on him. Campbell was considered a suspect in a Gresham homicide earlier that day.
The police dog pulled Campbell to the ground, as two different officers yelled commands at him to show his hands. Video shows Campbell with a small pistol in his hand before multiple officers opened fire, hitting Campbell and the dog. Campbell died at the scene. According to PPB, a total of 13 rounds were fired by four officers at the scene, including four from the service weapon of Officer Jerry Ables, a member of PPB’s K9 unit, and another five from Kameron Fender, also a member of the K9 unit. A US Marshal and a Clackamas County Sheriff’s deputy were also at the scene and fired an additional four rounds between the two of them. Campbell didn’t fire his gun.
The police K9, Kylo, was taken to an emergency veterinary hospital, but was ultimately euthanized that same day. Police said the day of the incident was supposed to be the dog’s last scheduled shift on duty before he was scheduled to be retired from service. A large law enforcement funeral procession was held for Kylo later that evening.
PPB declined to answer questions about whether K9 unit officers attempted to recall Kylo before firing, or whether it’s standard policy to keep a subject subdued by a K9 while opening fire, noting the incident is still under review.
“That review process is designed to answer how this incident applies to the law, policy and procedure, and training,” PPB Sgt. Kevin Allen said, noting it’s “not appropriate to discuss that at this stage.”
The September 24 shooting marks the third use of deadly force by PPB this year, including an incident where a lieutenant struck a man wielding a knife at a low speed with a police vehicle, causing no reported injuries. It’s the second recorded fatality caused by PPB in 2026.
What led to the shooting?
Campbell was identified as the suspect in a homicide after Gresham Police received a call for a welfare check at the home of Jeff Thompson around 7 am on Market Street in Gresham, and found him dead from a gunshot wound. Police said a .22 caliber handgun was used in the shooting.
Not long afterward, investigators began searching for Campbell, identifying him as their primary suspect. They tracked him down near SE 99th Avenue and Pine in Southeast Portland, and requested assistance from the US Marshals Service Pacific Northwest Violent Offender Task Force to take Campbell into custody.
Members of PPB serve on the task force along with other regional law enforcement agencies.
Incident is under review
As with all officer-involved shootings, the PPB personnel involved remain on administrative leave. The September 24 incident is being reviewed by the Multnomah County District Attorney’s Office for any criminal charges. The city of Portland’s Police Review Board, which is an advisory board to the police chief, will also review the incident to determine whether officers acted within policy. The final determination rests with PPB’s own chief. While Portland’s independent, civilian-led Community Board for Police Accountability is active, the board has yet to hire a director or staff for the city’s new police accountability office, which isn’t yet reviewing cases.
Councilor renews calls for changes in body camera footage presentation
Since adopting a bureau-wide body camera use policy, PPB has recently started releasing body camera footage from incidents involving deadly uses of force within a few weeks of the incident, albeit typically in a heavily edited format that includes narration from PPB about what happened and what each video clip depicts. The practice has been criticized by some members of the public and at least one city councilor, who argues PPB should release raw footage with only the edits necessary by law, so the public can view it objectively, without police framing it with an added narrative.
District 2 City Councilor Sameer Kanal, who serves on the Community and Public Safety Committee, said he’s grateful for the public release of the footage to “support transparency and community trust,” but remains disappointed that the footage was edited and narrated by police.
“Incomplete footage which goes beyond objective documentation of an incident undermines trust in both local law enforcement and the City broadly,” Kanal wrote in a statement released by his office. “The public needs answers, not commentary.”
The councilor is advocating for a written policy that would govern how body camera footage is presented to the public, moving forward.
