An autopsy conducted by the Oregon State Medical Examiner on a 43-year-old stabbing suspect, who died while in police custody, has found no evidence of traumatic injuries leading to his death, with the official cause still pending after toxicology tests return, as stated in an update by the Portland Police Bureau.
The initial investigation into the incident that occurred outside a convenience store on North Going Street recounts a violent altercation wherein the deceased suspect allegedly assaulted a 19-year-old male with whom he was acquainted, punching him in the face and inflicting a knife wound to his shoulder; the younger man retaliated by throwing a battery-powered leaf blower that hit the suspect in the back, the suspect managed to leave the scene but succumbed two blocks away where he collapsed on the sidewalk according to the Portland Police Bureau release.
A Public Safety Support Specialist for the Portland Police Bureau (PS3) discovered the man lying on the ground and, finding him conscious and able to speak, called for police officers; the officers assisted the man and placed him into a recovery position after he laid back down – this account was detailed in the police statement.
The officers, who later learned of the suspect's involvement in the stabbing, cuffed him without resistance and summoned EMS code-1 for a non-emergency medical evaluation; these events spearheading their detainment procedures were outlined in the bureau's news release.
