Grand jury: Shooting by Portland officer justified

PORTLAND, Ore. (AP) – A grand jury has determined that a deputy who shot a wanted man outside a Portland fast-food restaurant was justified in doing so.

The Oregonian/OregonLive reports the grand jury made the determination Thursday.

Multnomah County sheriff’s Deputy Matthew Ferguson shot Vasile Manta May 14 in a Burger King parking lot after Manta allegedly backed into a sheriff’s office minivan. Manta was taken to a hospital and later booked into jail.

Manta faces 36 total counts in that incident and another alleged run-in with authorities April 30.

Police previously said he used a minivan to ram a Gresham police officer’s vehicle in April. Police say Manta tried to fire a shotgun at the officer but the weapon jammed. When the minivan got stuck, police say Manta ran from the scene.

Manta has pleaded not guilty to 23 of the counts.

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Information from: The Oregonian/OregonLive, http://www.oregonlive.com