Grand jury declines to indict Milwaukie officers in shooting of 21-year-old man, Oregon DOJ says

A Clackamas County grand jury declined to indict two Milwaukie police officers who

shot and injured an unarmed 21-year-old man

during a traffic stop.

The grand jury found “insufficient evidence” to charge Sgt. Eduardo Sanchez and Officer Kwasean Akom in the

Sept. 30 shooting

of Hunter Newton, the Oregon Department of Justice said Thursday. The Clackamas County District Attorney’s Office requested that the

justice department lead

the shooting investigation.

Newton, now 22, was shot by Sanchez and Akom after allegedly refusing to exit his car during a traffic stop at a Taco Bell drive-thru in the 11000 block of Southeast Oak Street.

The Oregon DOJ said in a news release that Sanchez stopped Newton for a traffic violation and for driving with a suspended license. Instead of pulling over, Newton drove into the Taco Bell parking lot, the agency said.

Akom arrived to help. He and Sanchez asked Newton to get out of his car, but he refused, according to the justice department. The agency said the officers told him he was under arrest and tried to remove him from the car.

Newton resisted and during the struggle, the state agency said officers reported hearing a muffled pop that they believed was a gunshot fired from inside the car.

The officers then backed away, “fearing for their safety” and fired at Newton, the Oregon DOJ said. Newton was taken to OHSU Hospital for his injuries.

Investigators did not find a gun in Newton’s car. But the Oregon DOJ said surveillance footage captured a “small object that was propelled” from his car. The object created a small explosion and loud noise.

The agency said witnesses nearby reported hearing what they thought was a gunshot before the two officers fired their guns.

In October, an

attorney for Newton’s family claimed

that officers waited at least a half hour before giving Newton medical aid. He was struck in the shoulder and back of his head, his parents wrote in a statement then.

The family’s attorney, Thomas Rask III, wrote at the time that the initial information “indicates officers had no reason to escalate the encounter to a circumstance where Hunter could lose his life or suffer life-altering injuries.” Rask did not respond to requests for comment.

Akom had served with Milwaukie police for a year and a half before the shooting. Sanchez was a 10-year veteran with the department.

In a statement, Attorney General Dan Rayfield called the shooting a “deeply traumatic incident” for Newton and his family, the officers and the Milwaukie community.

“We recognize the irreparable pain that follows an event like this,” Rayfield said. “I have utmost gratitude for the Oregonians who took part in the grand jury and reviewed the evidence of this case with the attention and care it required.”

The grand jury looked at body-worn camera footage, area video, physical evidence and witness and expert testimony before declining to proceed with charges.

—

Zaeem Shaikh covers the Portland Police Bureau and criminal justice issues for The Oregonian/OregonLive. Reach him at 503-221-4323,


zshaikh@oregonian.com


or on X


@zaeemshake

.

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