Deschutes DA sheds new light in Redmond PD car death

Deschutes County District Attorney John Hummel shed some new light Wednesday on the events leading up to a Redmond man being struck and fatally injured by a police patrol car, although other details are being withheld as the investigation continues.

In a statement, Hummel noted that he “reviews every case in which a member of a law enforcement agency uses deadly physical force against another person.” Following that policy, Hummel is reviewing last week’s incident that led to the death of Michael Gaskill, 63.

Last Thursday, around 12:50 p.m., Redmond police were dispatched to the area of Canal Boulevard near St. Charles Redmond “in response to reports of a person armed with a handgun who was allegedly pointing it at passing motorists,” Hummel wrote.

“Four officers quickly arrived on scene. Each officer was in a separate patrol car,” he said. “One of the officers exited his car and approached the subject, who we now know was Michael Gaskill.”

“During the incident, another officer struck Mr. Gaskill with his car. This incident was captured by police dash cameras.”

Gaskill was seriously injured and “was quickly taken inside the hospital for treatment,” then flown by AirLink helicopter to St. Charles Bend, where he died two days later of his injuries, Hummel recounted.

The incident is under investigation by the Tri-County Major Incident Team, with the Deschutes County Sheriff’s Office as the lead investigating agency.

“In our system of justice, nothing is more serious than the taking of another person’s life,” Hummel said. “I look forward to carefully reviewing the evidence in this case and ensuring that a just result occurs.

“Mr. Gaskill’s family, the officer who struck Mr. Gaskill with his car, and the public deserve to know exactly what happened on this fateful day, and that’s what I’ll tell them.”

Among the elements not yet released are details about the apparent handgun in Gaskill’s possession and whether it was loaded.

Hummel said Wednesday the investigation is expected to last two more weeks, “and when it is completed, all the evidence, including videos, will be released to the public. “

This Friday, after the first phase of the investigation is finished, the names of the involved officers will be released, Hummel said. Two officers have been placed on paid administrative leave pending the outcome of the investigation.