By Maxine Bernstein, Austin De Dios
oregonlive.com
PORTLAND, Ore. — One security officer was killed Saturday and another person was injured following a shooting at Legacy Good Samaritan Medical Center in Portland that led to a confrontation in Gresham hours later where police fatally shot the suspect.
Legacy identified the security officer who was killed as Bobby Smallwood, 44, in a statement late Saturday afternoon. The other person injured in the shooting was also a hospital employee and was in stable condition, according to Legacy Health.
The shooting drew police officers from across the city, locked down the hospital for hours in a dense urban area filled with shops and restaurants, and forced an emergency evacuation of a nearby Fred Meyer store.
Central Precinct officers responded to the hospital just before 11 a.m. Officers closed off streets surrounding the hospital while police searched the area for the suspect who they believed had left the building after firing shots inside on the hospital’s fifth floor.
Shortly after 1 p.m. Saturday afternoon, numerous police vehicles converged in the middle of Northeast 181st Avenue near Glisan Street in Gresham.
Portland police from East Precinct and Gresham officers stopped the suspect’s vehicle, a white-and-maroon van, outside of the U.S. Bank on 181st. Tactical armored vehicles, along with Multnomah County sheriff’s deputies, arrived shortly afterwards.
Shoppers in the area said they saw a standoff between police and a person in the van, and then heard three to four gunshots.
At about 4:30 p.m., Portland police spokesperson Sgt. Kevin Allen confirmed that police fatally shot the suspect outside the bank.
Allen said that police identified the suspect while he was driving the van and waited for assistance before attempting a traffic stop.
Police said the suspect did not cooperate and was shot by three Portland police officers.
Brandon Loos, who lives along 181st Avenue, said he was in his yard when he heard three gunshots. He said he didn’t hear any police commands before the gunfire rang out.
”The gunshots were incredibly loud,” Loos said. “Two consecutive, then a pause and then one more.”
He said he looked over his fence and saw police putting up yellow tape to block off the street.
A heavy police presence converged on 181st Avenue, including officers from the Portland Police Bureau’s Special Emergency Reaction Team, Multnomah County Sheriff’s Office and Gresham police. Police used an officer-operated drone and robot at the scene and approached with a police dog.
Portland firefighters also were called to the scene just before 2 p.m., after officers relayed a concern that the suspect had a gas can in the front seat of the van and officers were worried he might light the van on fire.
After the shooting, Portland homicide detectives and police union representatives arrived.
The initial emergency call came from Good Sam security at 10:55 a.m., reporting that “someone visiting a patient verbally threatened hospital staff.”
When police arrived, hospital security reported shots had been fired. Allen said that the shooting happened on the fifth floor, where the birthing center is located, but could not say if it happened in the birthing center or in a hallway near it.
Police found Smallwood wounded and began treatment. He was transferred to Legacy Emanuel Medical Center, which is a Level 1 Trauma Center. There, “he died despite additional lifesaving treatment efforts,” police said.
The Stadium Fred Meyer at the corner of Northwest 20th Avenue and West Burnside Street was evacuated in the early afternoon as police searched for the shooting suspect.
Ed Jackson, who is recovering from a kidney transplant, was on the third floor of the hospital Saturday when he heard what sounded like three gunshots.
He said he couldn’t tell where the shots came from, but the hospital suddenly went into lockdown, with doors shut and barricaded. He said he was told to stay in his room with the door closed. He spoke by phone with The Oregonian/ OregonLive.
Tactical officers were observed earlier approaching the hospital’s emergency department off Northwest 23rd Avenue, a neighbor said.
Dozens of police closed off a four-block radius around the hospital, as people visited restaurants and shops, taking detours around the police tape.
Mo Badreddine was on his way back to Good Sam when he got a call from his father, who was getting an iron infusion.
”I told him I was on my way back, and he said I wouldn’t be able to get in,” Badreddine said. “He said there was an active shooter.”
Good Samaritan was in “code silver – lockdown” as of 3:00 p.m. Legacy said that meant employees must use their badge to enter the hospital; the emergency department and the birth center are on divert status; and the rest of the hospital is operating as normal.
Late Saturday afternoon, Legacy announced that employees and the families of employees can receive updates by calling 503-225-6242 and families of patients can call 503-225-6353.
TriMet and Portland Streetcar service were shut down in the area for a few hours, but resumed by midafternoon Saturday.
The East County Major Crimes Team is investigating the police shooting in Gresham. Portland police also will conduct an internal review of the shooting.
Northeast 181st Avenue was expected to be closed for hours between East Burnside Street and Northeast Glisan Street.
Anyone with information about the police shooting is asked to contact Detectives Fred Huffman at Frederick.huffman@greshamoregon.gov or Lindsay Friderich at Lindsay.friderich@greshamoregon.gov or call the tip line at (503)618-2719 or (888)989-3505.
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