Tigard to pay $3.8M in fatal police shooting settlement

TIGARD, Ore. (AP) — The City of Tigard, Oregon, will pay $3.8 million to the mother of 26-year-old Jacob Macduff, who was fatally shot by Tigard police while experiencing a mental health crisis outside of his apartment complex in January 2021.

As part of the wrongful death settlement agreement, the city agreed to undergo an independent review of their officer’s conduct during the shooting, the Oregonian/OregonLive reported.

The city also agreed to implement 15 changes to its policies and procedures, including training officers in de-escalation, moving up the timeline for implementing body-worn cameras and creating a mental health response team that will also serve Sherwood, Tualatin and King City.

According to the settlement, Tigard denies any “liability or fault or wrongdoing” related to the shooting. A representative for Tigard did not immediately respond Wednesday to an inquiry from The Oregonian/OregonLive.

At a news conference Wednesday, David Park, an attorney for the victim’s mother, Maria Macduff, showed police footage taken during the shooting and described a rapid and unexplained series of decisions by Tigard police officers that resulted in Jacob Macduff’s death.

Maria Macduff said in a statement provided by Park and another attorney that her son should never have died. “My deepest desire since this happened has been to do everything possible to make sure no other family loses a child the way I have,” she said. “I believe we’ve accomplished that.”