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PORTLAND, Ore. (AP) — A man shot and killed by police was holding an umbrella wrapped in cloth when the fatal bullet struck him, not a rifle as officers suspected, police said.
Portland Officer Terry Kruger, a law enforcement sniper and member of the bureau’s Special Emergency Reaction Team, fired the shot that killed 40-year-old Ronald Riebling Jr., ending a hostage standoff that lasted three hours early Sunday.
Teresa Bartle, Riebling’s former girlfriend, called police when Riebling broke into her home. She was outside when officers arrived, but her three children were inside the duplex with Riebling during the standoff. None was injured.
In an interview with detectives Monday, Kruger said he saw Riebling come to the door of his ex-girlfriend’s unit holding what he thought was a rifle and swinging it in front of him “as if he was aiming at officers from the hip,” Sgt. Brian Schmautz said.
Riebling went back inside. SERT officers said they heard someone inside yell that Riebling had a gun. When Riebling stepped out again, Kruger saw Riebling turn toward him and raise the object to his shoulder as if he were aiming a rifle at him, Schmautz said.
A Multnomah County grand jury will hear the case next week. Kruger is on paid administrative leave. It was his second fatal shooting in 16 years on the force.
After the shooting, police found no weapons on Riebling or in the duplex.
Court records show Riebling had assault, drunken driving and drug convictions dating to 2001. He had been ordered to undergo domestic-violence and anger-management counseling, as well as mental health evaluations.
He had been on parole since his release from prison March 31 after serving time for assault, harassment and driving while intoxicated. In October 2002, he was arrested on an accusation that he struck his stepfather with a baseball bat in front of his 5-year-old son, according to court papers.
Beverly Reed, his mother, told The Oregonian Monday that she doesn’t understand why police killed her son.
“I think the police department needs to have something in place where they train these officers to shoot below the belt and not to kill,” Reed said.
Schmautz said police are trained “to stop the threat.” Once the grand jury’s review is done, police will conduct an internal investigation and evaluate whether the officer acted according to police policy.
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Information from: The Oregonian, http://www.oregonian.com
Portland Officer Terry Kruger, a law enforcement sniper and member of the bureau’s Special Emergency Reaction Team, fired the shot that killed 40-year-old Ronald Riebling Jr., ending a hostage standoff that lasted three hours early Sunday.
Teresa Bartle, Riebling’s former girlfriend, called police when Riebling broke into her home. She was outside when officers arrived, but her three children were inside the duplex with Riebling during the standoff. None was injured.
In an interview with detectives Monday, Kruger said he saw Riebling come to the door of his ex-girlfriend’s unit holding what he thought was a rifle and swinging it in front of him “as if he was aiming at officers from the hip,” Sgt. Brian Schmautz said.
Riebling went back inside. SERT officers said they heard someone inside yell that Riebling had a gun. When Riebling stepped out again, Kruger saw Riebling turn toward him and raise the object to his shoulder as if he were aiming a rifle at him, Schmautz said.
A Multnomah County grand jury will hear the case next week. Kruger is on paid administrative leave. It was his second fatal shooting in 16 years on the force.
After the shooting, police found no weapons on Riebling or in the duplex.
Court records show Riebling had assault, drunken driving and drug convictions dating to 2001. He had been ordered to undergo domestic-violence and anger-management counseling, as well as mental health evaluations.
He had been on parole since his release from prison March 31 after serving time for assault, harassment and driving while intoxicated. In October 2002, he was arrested on an accusation that he struck his stepfather with a baseball bat in front of his 5-year-old son, according to court papers.
Beverly Reed, his mother, told The Oregonian Monday that she doesn’t understand why police killed her son.
“I think the police department needs to have something in place where they train these officers to shoot below the belt and not to kill,” Reed said.
Schmautz said police are trained “to stop the threat.” Once the grand jury’s review is done, police will conduct an internal investigation and evaluate whether the officer acted according to police policy.
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Information from: The Oregonian, http://www.oregonian.com
