CLACKAMAS COUNTY, Ore. — A grand jury has determined that two Clackamas County sheriff’s deputies were justified in the fatal shooting of an armed teen at his apartment south of Portland.
The Oregonian reported the jury came to the conclusion Thursday after hearing testimony from 10 witnesses to the January incident in which 19-year-old Christopher Kalonji was killed by a gunshot wound to the chest.
Sgt. Tony Killinger, a 15-year member of the sheriff’s office, and Deputy Lon Steinhauer, a 21-year agency veteran, have been on paid administrative leave since the shooting.
Oregon State Medical Examiner Dr. Larry Lewman says he ruled Kalonji’s death a suicide due to his behavior in the presence of armed deputies.
Deputies say mental health personnel and negotiators spoke to Kalonji for over two hours and say deputies fired after Kalonji brandished a rifle.
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