A Marion County grand jury found that the police officer shooting of Andrew Hanlon on June 30 was a lawful use of deadly physical force.
Hanlon, 20, was an Irish citizen, and his shooting sparked an international outcry against police violence. The grand jury reviewed diagrams, autopsy reports, witness testimony, audiotapes and videotapes before making the unanimous decision.
Members of his family and friends admitted that he may have been suffering from some type of mental problems.
The Marion County District Attorney's Office put out a lengthy press release in order to "combat the accusations of a conspiracy or a cover-up that have arisen in the last three and a half weeks."
They said the incident started when Shannon Kelley heard pounding on her front door at 11:20 p.m. and saw a man, later identified as Hanlon, acting strangely.
Kelley asked him to leave, but Hanlon demanded to enter. Hanlon, according to Kelley, said he had a sword and yelled phrases such as: "Thou shalt let met in!" Though Hanlon didn't have a sword, he gestured as if he had one.
Kelley, who phoned police, said Hanlon howled at the moon and at one point screamed that he was the "angel of death." Kelley said she and her parents visiting from Montana had to put their bodies against the door to stop Hanlon from breaking it down.
Officers later found blood, blood spatter and even skin tissue on the family's front door where Hanlon had tried to knock it down, according to the report.
After repeatedly hurling his body against the door, Hanlon ran barefoot toward Oak Street, where he would meet Silverton officer Tony Gonzalez.
Gonzalez told investigators he heard the sound of shattering glass and thought Hanlon might be armed with a broken bottle. Kemmy and Hanson noted that investigators think Hanlon merely bumped into a recycling bin.
Gonzalez said he ordered Hanlon to show his hands and get down on the ground. After repeating the command, Hanlon appeared ready to comply.
But then he leaped at the officer, kicking and screaming. Gonzalez backpedaled, but could never get more than 5 feet away and started firing.
Gonzalez's version of events was backed up by Jeff DeSantis of Silverton, who was driving along Oak Street and stopped his vehicle when he saw the patrol car.
Witnesses -- including Hanlon's sister, his roommate and his best friend -- were called to testify to his character to give a better picture of whom he was as a person, according to the release.
Four officers were also called as witnesses to testify about the scene of the shooting, the proper use of force and the shooting officer's condition after the incident.
Gonzalez still faces charges from a separate incident in Salem where he is accused of touching an underage girl inappropriately.
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