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.