Portland police have confirmed that the man who killed police in Lents Park on Friday is Robert Douglas Delgado, 46, a Portland resident.
“He’s like a stray dog just looking for someone to take him in,” said Jennifer Fahey, a longtime friend of Delgado’s who kept him at home regularly and made sure he was cared for. “That’s what we’re trying to do, but he will not stay with me too long, he’s always on the go.”
Delgado was shot dead Friday morning in Lents Park in Southeast Portland by Zachary DeLong, a Portland police officer. The Portland Police Department said DeLong and other officers responded to a call for a ‘white man pointing a gun at the park’.
Robert Douglas Delgado, 46, was shot dead by a Portland police officer in Lents Park on Friday.
With thanks to the family / Courtesy of the family
Responding officers fired less lethal 40mm ammunition at Delgado before DeLong shot him dead. DeLong, an 8-year-old PPB veteran assigned to East Precinct, is currently on administrative leave while PPB investigates the shooting.
PPB did not confirm whether a weapon was found at the scene.
According to Fahey, Delgado suffered from mental health issues as long as she knew him, but that he was never dangerous. She said Delgado, who was not housed, was beaten regularly or that his belongings were stolen by other people on the street. He often thought that other unscrupulous people were secret police.
“He had such a difficult life,” she said. “He always thinks the police are after him. The CIA, the feds. He was so scared of the police. ‘
She said Delgado was well known in the area, also among the police.
“They know he has no weapons,” she said. “He’s always out here, he’s always involved with the police.”
The efforts of friends and family to get Delgado help are hampered by his distrust of the institutions, but Fahey remembered him as a good person who sometimes had problems.
“But who does not?” she asked. “He did not deserve it.”
Mike Schmidt, District Attorney in Multnomah County, issued a statement Saturday, saying his office is in the early stages of a criminal investigation against the officer and that it is important that they are methodical and not in a hurry.
“This case is expected to be submitted to a grand jury to determine whether the use of lethal force was a lawful act of self-defense and / or self-defense of others,” Schmidt said in the statement. “We remain committed to an open and transparent process. Our goal is to find answers. ”
According to the statement, Officer DeLong will be questioned within 48 hours of the shooting. Schmidt also condemned the “deliberate and criminal actions of individuals who were rioting in downtown Portland on Friday night” and said the cases would be reviewed when they were referred to his office by PPB.