Well, good afternoon. Want to uh welcome everybody to the Portland Police Bureau and thank you for being here. I am Mike Benner, uh public information manager here at the bureau. I am joined by Chief Bob Day, Portland Mayor Keith Wilson, uh US Marshall of Oregon Pete Kahigal, Multma County District Attorney Nathan Vasquez, as well as Portland Police Association President Aaron Schmoutz. We're here to discuss the successful apprehension of the man suspected of shooting two Portland police officers one week ago tonight. But before we get into those details, I want to provide a quick recap of what has transpired over the last week. You might recall on Monday, January 19th, at approximately 8:20 p.m., North Precinct officers responded to a report of a person making threats with a knife near Northeast 21st Avenue and Northeast Clackamus Street. When officers arrived, they located the suspect on Northeast Clackamus between Northeast 16th and 17th. During a brief conversation, the man pulled out a handgun and shot both officers. Both of them were rushed to the hospital. One was released Tuesday. The other, I'm happy to share, is being released today. Following the shooting, all available resources responded to the area. The scene was secured and an extensive hourslong search was conducted. Unfortunately, the suspect was not located that evening. Since then, this has been an all hands-on deck sort of situation. Detectives and patrol officers have worked continuously following up on more than 230 tips from the community. None of which would be possible without the community and without the support of our federal, state, and local partners. Some of those partners include the US Marshall Service, ATF, FBI, OSP, and the Multim County District Attorney's Office. Specific tips from the community provided critical information that led to the identification and ultimately the location and apprehension of our suspect. I'd like to direct your attention to the big screen here on our left. The suspect is identified as Eric Floyd Olers. This morning at approximately 7 a.m. Ulers was arrested during a tactical operation in the 6400 block of Northeast 82nd Avenue. A subsequent search of the area resulted in the seizure of the firearm we believed was used in the shooting of our two officers. Following the arrest, was transported back here to Central Precinct for an interview with detectives, then booked into the Multma County District at excuse me, the Multma County Detention Center on the following charges: two counts of attempted murder in the first degree, two counts of assault in the first degree, and two counts of unlawful use of a weapon. With that, I want to turn it over to Chief Day for some remarks. Chief. >> Thanks, Mike. >> Well, as always, I just want to take a moment uh reflect really on the last several hours, including uh the tragic loss of life we experienced in East Portland this morning, our first recorded homicide of 2026. Do not ever want to lose sight of the sanctity of life. Uh and the primary role and responsibility of policing is that preservation of safety for all. So, our hearts go out to the family and the victims and those impacted uh early morning hours this morning. I'd also like to recognize that just in less than the last 24 hours, the Portland Police Bureau has been stretched incredibly thin. We had a couple of public order events yesterday afternoon. Um we had the homicide overnight and then we have been working this case, you know, continuously for the last several days. Um and then more specifically in the overnight hours and in this morning with surveillance and ultimately the apprehension and so uh really has been a a taxing week emotionally and physically. Uh but we could not do it without these relationships that stand behind us right now. This doesn't happen alone. For starters, I just want to express my appreciation and pride for the Portland Police Bureau as a whole. This really was an agencywide effort. um the detectives uh that worked tirelessly on it, the first responders, the officers who were first on scene, um officers throughout the week, our professional staff, our analysts, our administrative support. Um really organizationally, this was a this was an entire PPB lift and really grateful to see how folks on top of their already very demanding roles and responsibilities move this on the top of the pile to continue to move this investigation forward. also um really would not be able to do this without support of our partners. Mike already mentioned them. The Oregon State Police critical with their crime lab usage, their support around DNA. Um really grateful for the priority that Superintendent Cotting and his team put forward. [snorts] Um also want to thank our East Metro Crimes team, East Metro uh tactical team helped us out here in the early morning hours. The Multma County District Attorney's Office you're going to hear from in a minute. You know, our federal partners were essential. We do have our US marshal here. You'll hear from a moment. I've been very clear over the last year the importance of relationships with our federal partners and those relationships uh really uh came to pay the dividends this past week. Uh we could not have done the surveillance and some of the investigative work without Pete and his amazing team along with support from the FBI and the ATF as already mentioned. And this is really a model that we have been demonstrating to the country um that can happen in these challenging times uh in narratives and aren't always uh helpful to the community. We are saying that we continue to be in partnership understanding our lanes, understanding our roles and responsibilities. Um but when need be, we can um bring those resources together to provide that highest level of public safety for all of Portland. And I'm really grateful for our federal partners. the mayor um has been uh on the forefront of this as a leader of this city and supporting us with his messaging and offering resources available. So grateful for that support. And then finally the community piece and Mike already touched on it, but literally 230 tips in the last week. Within the first 96 hours, we had 190 tips. 146 of which were actionable. So, we are continuing to look through leads and look through information as this case continues to move forward. And finally, I just want to highlight to me this is what it really looks like when you have a a fully resourced police department, when you have an agency that's able to um come together and focus on these, you know, very serious crimes. Um, we would like to be able to pay that effort and that attention to all of the challenges that Portlanders face and we're committed to doing the best we can in the circumstances that we have. This is also a commitment to constitutional policing. Um, there has been no rush to judgment on this person's guilt or innocence. We have simply been following where the case goes. We we stay adhere to the rule of law. I've been clear about that for the last year. We focus on probable cause. See where the evidence takes us. It is about partnerships. It is about professionalism. You know, there uh this officer shot two of our police officers and this morning our tactical team took him into custody. We did not use force. We were able to gain compliance and take him into custody. Portland Police Bureau is not about retribution. We're about staying with the rule of law. were about staying as a constitutionally oriented police bureau that will continue to serve all the Portlanders regardless of their behaviors or their actions directed towards one another or directed towards us. And with that, I want to turn it over to Mayor Wilson. Thank you, Chief. This is a this is a good day. We continue to focus on community health and safety, and today was one of those days where our partners worked with us. My office was extremely concerned from the moment this occurred. We put our whole team behind it and we brought the resources of the other co-workers throughout the entire city because we really want to be one city and support all facets of our city so we can provide clean streets and safe places for everybody to to enjoy the city. First, I want to recognize the hardworking and dedicated public servants of the Portland Police Bureau. Over the past week, they've worked tirelessly and professionally under extraordinarily difficult circumstances. Their persistence and skill led to the safe apprehension of a suspect this morning, and our entire city is grateful for their continued commitment to protecting our community. This has been an incredibly tough time for the two officers who were shot last Monday and for their families, colleagues, and their loved ones. One officer has been released from the hospital and the others cons and the other continues to recover. We're holding them close in our thoughts as we remain steadfast in supporting them through every step of their healing. I also want to express deep appreciation for the coordinated efforts across jurisdiction. The US Marshalss, as the chief had noted, our federal partners, state and local agencies, and community members all played a critical role in bringing this case to a turning point. This collaboration reflects the best of what public service can be. people coming together with shared purpose to keep Portland safe. While the investigation continues, today's developments are an important step forward. And I want to thank everyone involved for their professionalism, their courage, and their unwavering dedication to our city. Thank you. >> Good afternoon. Want to emphasize this arrest underscores the strength of inter agency partnerships in this city. When violence threatens, public safety, law enforcement agencies unite and work together as one. The response you saw here reflects the seamless coordination between the US Marshall Service, the Portland Police Bureau, and our state and federal partners. The Marsh Service's priority throughout this operation was the safety of the public. Every decision made was deliberate, lawful, and guided by the goal of resolving this matter without any further violence. In closing, let me be clear. If you commit violence against law enforcement of the public, we will find you. We will do so lawfully, methodically, and in partnership with those who share the responsibility of keeping our community safe. >> Thank you. I'll turn it over to the DA. >> Thank you. Good afternoon. Uh first and foremost, um I'm very thankful that those off that are our officers are making a recovery. Having had the opportunity to visit with them, um I know that this is very meaningful to them. Um, I'm also very thankful at the really professional and thorough investigation that has taken place and not just the investigation, but the search that was done in in very careful coordination with my office, with Portland police, with multiple agencies. And I got to see firsthand how the detectives and the various agents, including the US Marshals, worked really uh 24 hours a day to get this done. And it is only because of their professionalism and the dedicated approach they took that we saw this come to a safe ending. Uh Portland cannot and will not become a place where someone can shoot at police and get away with it. I am going to be bringing the full weight of my office to make sure that this is aggressively prosecuted and that every charge is considered including and up to attempted aggravated murder in the first degree. This is the beginning of the process for the district attorney's office, but I want to make sure that the community understands that this office will be laser focused and this will be our highest priority. We will make sure that justice is brought for the officers and for their families. In terms of the process, I want to be clear that one of my top deputy district attorneys, Melissa Morero, who's here today, is currently reviewing the case and has been working on this case from the very beginning. This suspect will be arraigned here in the next day on charges that we believe will get the process started. And then the case will be presented to the grand jury and they will be asked to consider a host of charges including, as I said before, attempted aggravated murder. And I want to be abundantly clear for the community and for the officers and their families, this office will be demanding that this individual be held without bail. Thank you. >> Uh Aaron Schmoutz, I'm the Portland Police Association president. Um I spent a lot of time speaking with our families about this incident that took place. Um I'm a second generation police officer. Policing is an interesting job because as I've said publicly several times recently, uh attacks on police officers is attack on the the fabric of our society. Our officers, unlike any other job, when something really bad happens, one of our members is shot, deeply injured, they're still responding to all the calls in the city. They're still doing the work, and people at home, uh their family members who love them are wondering if they're okay. Um what's been really heartening for me uh in watching this situation unfold into this successful uh capture of this individual is our federal partners uh working with us to ensure we can bring this person to justice. the families wanted to make sure I noted that has been our officers, our detectives, our criminalists, all of our our law enforcement partners ensuring that we do so safely. Um, you know, when you look at kind of the juxtaposition, while we've had uh some elected officials and media completely disregard what has happened here, many have not. Um, I'm very thankful for Mayor Wilson and his support of our officers. Um, but most importantly, the support from our community has been incredibly loud. um our officers uh they go out and they risk their lives every day in support of a community they love. Um and seeing that support and love returned in a way um that has led to the successful capture um has been something that none of us will soon forget. Um the officers are recovering um their injuries were grievous um and they will have their lives changed forever by this event and I think our city will too. Thank you. >> Right. [clears throat] Thank you Aaron and thank you to all our speakers. We have some time for uh some Q&A. Um as always, please state your name, who you're with, and who your questions for. And again, just keep in mind this is an open and ongoing investigation. We're a victim-entered agency, so we owe it to our officers to keep some of the details close to the vest uh so that Nathan and his uh team can uh carry out a a successful prosecution. Uh with that, uh Christina, >> yeah, had significant criminal history, including some pending charges for bank robbery and other such things. Did he have a pending warrant at the time of his arrest? I mean, sorry, did he have a pending warrant at the time of this incident? And what was being done to bring him in on that warrant? >> You know, Matt, I don't know. >> I do. Uh, my name is Matt Jacobson, J A C O SN. I'm a sergeant the detective division here at the Port Police Bureau. Um, obviously uh once we had identified Mr. Ulkers as a suspect, uh, we began to work look at that history. Uh, I know I've spoken with the chief investigator at the DA's office about that uh, pending case. Uh, they had assigned it for uh, some followup at one point. I haven't had a ton of time to uh, speak too much more about that with him. Um, but again, as as part of our background, I I did uh, identify that or we did identify that. Uh, so I think we probably could get more into that, but that we had uh, at least known that some work was done. >> Was there Could you tell me if there was a warrant? >> Um, sorry. Could you tell me if there was a warrant on those charges? >> Uh, my understanding is there there was a warrant um uh in the system uh related to a robbery. I couldn't tell you if it was uh that specific robbery or not. I wouldn't want to make that connection without looking at uh specifically. >> Um can you tell us exactly which tip uh kind of helped you identify who he was or what the tip was? >> Absolutely. As we mentioned, uh I think we're up to over uh 230 tips at this point. Um, a key part of that is in the first 96 hours we were able to receive about 180 or 190. Uh, 146 of those were identified as actionable. Uh, we developed a a fairly robust and uh, detailed system for vetting those tips. All of those actionable tips were assigned to an investigator for follow-up. Um, one [clears throat] of those tips um, did lead eventually to the area where he was uh, taken into custody. Um, even in 2026, um, that tip was, uh, worked in kind of old old-fashioned boots on the ground policing. Uh, we had investigators, several detectives out, uh, speaking to that tipster, um, uh, exploiting those leads, uh, following those leads, uh, talking to other people, and really, uh, working, uh, working the tip as it led them based on what they learned. Um, so it was a little bit of a a call back to getting out and and following it and doing the work and talking to the people. >> Was that tip like we saw him in that area or was like, "Oh, I know who that guy is. This is his name." >> Uh, the the tip uh was in general that uh somebody that is associated with that area believed that they had seen a person that could be consistent with the photos we released uh immediately after that incident. Um and so from there we're able to build build on that to uh to lead us where where we were. >> Are you able to confirm if that was the professor there was a business in Park? They told me that there was a person who had been vandalizing their business their employees and the picture it showed was very similar. Are you able to dive into whether or not there is a connection between that and this person was arrested? >> So this is open ongoing and and Dave Vasquez mentioned the process where we we do still need to get through grand jury. I'm not going to get into those specifics. Um but again uh people associated with that area uh were the people that called and and began that that process. >> Do you know if this person was houseless or if they were kind of status on that part? >> I I I think it's too early to say or or or add a label. I do know and am comfortable saying they are they are from Portland. >> It was mentioned Joey Bach of Quincix that he was taken into custody without incident, but I guess could you go into more detail about what that process was like? um take him into custody when when that operation started. What happened? >> Rob, do you have more details on that? >> Um >> yeah, [snorts] >> yeah, absolutely. Uh as we mentioned, we uh were partnering with the US Marshall Service uh on this case. We uh once the suspect had been identified uh and we had obtained a warrant, we solicited the assistance uh for them to work a fugitive case. Um that is what they do. Uh they are professionals at it. Uh as we are but they this is what they specialize in. Uh so in the partnership with them um [clears throat] and once a location was identified uh they full circle turned back to us and requested assistance from the uh special emergency reaction team uh and the crisis negotiation team from the port and police bureau. Um that planning took several hours. A detailed and thoughtful plan was put into place. Um and then certain CNT uh then kind of took over that final piece of that custody uh from the US Marshall Service uh utilizing some some additional tools at their their disposal at KXL. About how long did the whole take down take? I mean you know from the time that you identified where he was until the time that you arrested him. Was it a long negotiation period or >> specifically any negotiation period? I would say, you know, we we worked this problem now uh for for many days. Uh I think once uh our uh certain CNT made contact with Mr. Olers, um it was it was a a couple I I'd have to look. I think it was over an hour. Um but again, that was being methodical, thoughtful, and slow about that work. As part of my role, I'm actually a sergeant on our crisis negotiation team and work with with with C. Um and uh using the thoughtful for way they do things. Uh there's no reason to rush rush into anything. Uh everything was done with uh ultimate safety in mind. >> What can you do identify as a suspect? >> Uh the question for you was what point we had identified as a suspect. Um it [clears throat] was over the course of the last about 48 hours. Uh again, we won't get into all our specifics. Um, but that was uh based on a number of different things, not just one specific uh lead. It was a a a accumulation of of uh several different items of work. >> Christina, do you have a question? >> Yes, I do. Uh, was the incident where he was allegedly threatening with a knife? Are there going to be charges in that? And was there a motive established on that one? And then can you elaborate on the conversation with officers when they contacted him? Uh so to answer your first question uh about the initial confrontation uh again we are now early on into this next phase of this investigation. Obviously our focus has been uh primarily on finding Mr. Wilkers and safely bringing him into custody. Um so we will continue to work through uh that other part. Uh so uh I I I couldn't give you a straight answer on a yes or no, but obviously uh we continue to work this investigation uh to its fullest. Uh and then I' I'd have to ask for the second part again. >> Oh yeah. when the officers were talking to him, they approached him. What was that conversation? What was going on there? >> Uh, you know, I'm not going to get into a ton of details. Uh, there obviously was a call for service. We discussed it, I think on Thursday when we spoke, uh, that we don't believe that was some sort of ambush. There was a call for service from a community member um that that led them there. Uh, again, it was some sort of threat. >> Joey, couple more questions. Yeah, the place that he was arrested, not particularly close to the place that he shot these officers. Do you have any idea how he got to that part of town and what he was doing this last week? Did he drive? Did he have a car? Any ideas? >> I think uh you know that's kind of a detailed question. Um we we do it's not something we're really comfortable sharing. We have an idea, but again, without uh, you know, articulable facts and and evidence to support it, I wouldn't give you a ton of ton of good to give you an answer that we we didn't we couldn't necessarily support. >> Selene and uh, and Christine will call, >> was he armed during the arrest? And depending on that answer, where specifically was his firearm found? And also, the knife were found. >> So, we did recover a firearm from the area he was taken into custody to from. Um, past that, uh, I was out at the scene and then have came back here and been been prepping. Um, uh, so I couldn't give much, uh, more detail than that. Uh, and then, uh, on the knife, we can we can get back to you and and detail that and have Mike follow up. >> You don't know who specifically on this body when he was arrested or just in that area. >> I I'd have to look. So, I I couldn't give you a good answer. >> This might be a question for the DA, but these charges for alleged bank robbery date back to 2022. People are going to want to know why was this guy on the loose when he had charges for a bank robbery in 2022. The PC statement and those charges mentioned that he may have had a gun on him and those it just it seems like he would have been a risk to the public and why was he on the loose? >> Yeah. And I can tell you my office charged him with a crime and he was in warrant status. So, it's something that we wanted to see prosecuted and so it'll be an issue of uh we are one part in the process. The court makes decisions about who remains out of custody and in custody, but I can tell you that um under my administration, we've been very clear. We are demanding that people be held in custody when they are risk to the public. Um so certainly it's one where we had had um you know major charges on him and we will be pursuing those as we go forward as well as uh making sure that uh when he comes before the court on this matter, we will be requesting that he be held without bail. Um Mike, could you answer the question about a different story? I'm sorry >> on this morning's homicide. >> Yes. And then another question. >> Sure. Yeah. Since Chief is here, I I'll just give the the a brief synopsis of this morning. Obviously, uh and unfortunately, we had our first homicide of 2026 this morning. I can tell you around 2:30 uh a.m. Uh there was a a medical call, someone in distress in the area of Southeast 134th and Harold. Uh when paramedics arrived uh they uh noticed that this individual was not just in distress but he had been shot. So officers also responded to the scene and cordon off the area and that individual um unfortunately passed away uh despite life-saving efforts uh by uh paramedics on scene. Our homicide unit uh folks who were you know uh still working this other case responded to that scene and launched an investigation. And in the coming days, we anticipate um identifying uh the individual uh who is deceased. And as always, anyone with information about that case should contact homicide tips at police.portlandorggon.gov. And we'll take one final question from Christine, then we have to um let these individuals uh get I'm going to read it off. It's not my question. Uh President Trump is demanding that local law enforcement assist federal law enforcement in detaining undocumented people who are wanted for crimes. What is your reaction to these demands against Portland sanctuary status? Yeah, our position isn't going to change. We're going to be consistent like we have been. We are not engaged in immigration enforcement. Have not been since the state law was passed, I think in 1987. We're not going to change now. Uh we're going to continue to adhere to the rule of law. We're going to continue to hear to the desires of Oregonians and uh what their wishes are and and continuing to police Portlanders in the manner in which they're asking to be policed. So, nothing's going to change on our end in that regard. I'm >> sorry. Mayor Wilson, you have to answer that as well. I'll just >> uh just second what the chief noted. We're a sanctuary state. We're a sanctuary city and council just reaffirmed through protect Portland that we are committed to being a sanctuary city and so we will continue to hold up the values of our community. [clears throat] >> Thank you, mayor, and thank you to all our speakers. Uh I just want to follow up and close the loop on Selen's question. The firearm was not located on Mr. Olers's. it was located in the area that he was taken into custody. Uh lastly, again, a big thanks uh to the community and a thanks to all of you in the room because we are not standing here today without you all helping us get this information out, get those pictures out and that leads to those tips from the community. So, really appreciate all of you. Thank you for being here today and have a good rest of your day. Thank you. >> Thank you.