Portland police ID man fatally shot by officer

PORTLAND, Ore. (AP) – Portland police on Thursday identified a man fatally shot by an officer as Terrell Johnson, a 24-year-old who has recently been homeless.

Sgt. Pete Simpson says Johnson was armed with a utility knife Wednesday night when he was shot multiple times near light-rail tracks.

The Transit Division officer who fired the shots is Samson Ajir, an eight-year veteran of the Portland Police Bureau.

The shooting happened after a 9-1-1 caller reported that a man was acting erratically and threatening people at a transit station. The caller described Johnson as a white male, though he’s listed as black in court records from an April arrest for bicycle theft.

Records show Johnson’s mother lives in Portland and had an active restraining order against him.

According to Simpson, Johnson’s family told investigators he struggled with drug addiction.