PORTLAND, Oregon — A Portland police officer who shot and killed a man in January will not be criminally charged. The deadly shooting happened during a standoff at a downtown Portland apartment building.
Officer Joshua Howery shot and killed 31-year-old Matthew Lee Holland, according to the Portland Police Bureau (PPB). On Wednesday, a grand jury in Multnomah County ruled that Howery's use of force was not criminal under Oregon law, the Multnomah County District Attorney's Office said.
On January 14 at 12:35 a.m., officers responded to reports of gunfire inside the Portland Astoria apartments on Southwest Columbia Street. Officers found bullet holes in the hallway, and heard yelling and more gunshots coming from inside an apartment on the eighth floor. Police sent alert messages notifying neighbors to stay inside and keep their doors locked.
The Crisis Negotiation Team and the Special Emergency Reaction Team responded around 1 a.m. Officers heard yelling and gunshots for more than an hour and tried to place a phone call to reach inside the apartment unit, but did not receive a response, PPB said. The teams evacuated people living nearby.
PPB said more gunshots were heard at 2:40 a.m. and at least one neighbor reported bullets going through the walls of their apartment. Shortly after that, Howery shot and killed Holland, according to PPB. Officers found Holland injured with an AR-15-style rifle near him. Paramedics gave him medical aid, but Holland died. The medical examiner ruled Holland's cause of death was a gunshot wound.
No officers or neighbors were injured.
Following standard protocol, Howery was placed on administrative leave during the investigation, PPB said. Howery has worked in PPB's East Precinct for 23 years and is a member of SERT.
