UPDATE #3: Officers Involved in Shooting Identified, Video Released

Press Release

View full size image of News release graphic with photo of the gun

The Portland Police Bureau is releasing video footage of an officer involved shooting and identifying the members involved.

The following two officers discharged their bureau-issued firearms during the February 05, 2026 incident:

-Detective Charles Asheim, a 17.7-year veteran of PPB assigned to the Specialized Resources Division, and a member of SERT

-Officer Dustin Barth, a 10.9-year veteran of PPB assigned to Central Precinct and a member of SERT

The PPB members remain on administrative leave, which is standard protocol.

The video summary of the incident, including body-worn camera footage, can be found here. The video is intended to inform and educate the public about a critical incident in our community, and is part of our commitment to transparency and preserving the public trust. Unedited portions of the footage used in the video are included.

Body worn cameras are used by all Portland officers assigned to patrol and most specialty units. They are worn at mid-torso level and capture the line of sight from that perspective. It is important to note that the camera lens is fixed and does not capture everything seen or perceived by the officer.

On the morning of Thursday, February 5, 2026, at an apartment high-rise in the 1600 block of Northwest 14^th Avenue, members of The Portland Police Special Emergency Reaction Team, or SERT, and the Crisis Negotiation Team, or CNT, prepared to serve a search warrant and an arrest warrant on a suspect who was believed to be armed and dangerous. The suspect, 57-year-old Erik Sherrer, was wanted for an incident that took place five days earlier, where he entered a nearby grocery store, falsely claimed to be U.S. Secret Service Agent, and tried to shoot a uniformed security officer with a handgun. Sherrer ran off but left behind a loaded shotgun with shells that had messages written on them threatening President Donald Trump's life. An investigation led detectives to Sherrer, who was still believed to be in possession of the handgun.

The suspect's apartment was at the end of the hall on an upper floor of the apartment building. The apartment next door was vacant, and officers gained access to it prior to beginning the warrant service. The empty apartment can be seen in some of the footage. Officers evacuated the resident across the hall and secured the stairway door in an attempt to prevent the suspect from trying to escape.

At 5:18 a.m., SERT officers announced themselves, breached the apartment, and ordered the suspect to come out with his hands empty. He did not comply and remained inside. Force warnings were given, which are required by policy, but officers also used de-escalation and person-centered communication techniques in an effort to give the suspect a way to communicate with officers. The goal was to get him into custody safely.

Officers breached a wall between the vacant apartment and the suspect's apartment. Officers utilized a small Unmanned Aircraft System (drone) designed to give them a view of the apartment, but the suspect knocked the drone to the ground, damaging it. Officers prepared another strategy to safely resolve the situation, planning the use of irritant gas to try to prompt him to surrender, but they first took the time to evacuate the residents on the floor to minimize the risk of exposure to the gas. At 5:55 a.m., over 35 minutes after the initial knock-and-announce, officers deployed two kinds of munitions into the apartment, including 2-chlorobenzylidene malononitrile (CS) gas and oleoresin capsicum (OC) vapor.

Five minutes later, the suspect emerged. SERT member Detective Asheim was watching the door from behind a portable shield wall. He fired shots, reporting that that suspect had pointed a gun at him.

The suspect went back into the apartment but quickly re-emerged, still armed with the handgun. Detective Asheim fired additional shots. At the same time, Officer Barth, who was in the stairway, up one flight of stairs, fired shots at the suspect through the door. After officer Barth's shots, another officer deployed a flash-sound distraction device.

The suspect fell down in the hallway. Officers saw a gun at his feet but reported that they saw something else in his hand that appeared to be another gun. That hand was underneath him and out of the officers' view. They asked him to roll away from the gun. When he did not, they brought in a K9 unit to try to move him away from the gun. That did not work either, and officers then moved up to secure the weapon, take him into custody, and get him medical help. They found the other object was a flashlight. A paramedic from Portland Fire & Rescue, who is embedded with SERT, was called in at 6:10 a.m. He determined the suspect was deceased. The handgun recovered at the suspect's feet was loaded with a round in the chamber.

As part of the use of force review process, the Bureau will conduct an internal review of the entire incident, including the initial response, resources requested, tactics used, and post shooting actions. The case will go before the Police Review Board (PRB), which is composed of community members, Bureau members, and representatives from the Independent Police Review Division.

The Portland Police Bureau directive outlining the procedures followed after an officer involved shooting may be found at 1010.10 Deadly Force and In-Custody Death Reporting and Investigation Procedures.

The Portland Police Bureau is committed to transparency. The Bureau has an interactive dashboard on its website, which allows users to filter the information based on a variety of data. That includes cases by year with subject injury type, initial call type, subject weapon, demographics, and aggregate statistics.

Once the entire investigation and legal process is complete, the investigative files and any grand jury transcripts regarding this case will be posted on the Bureau's Open Data page. Information available about past officer-involved shootings can be found here OIS Summaries.

###PPB###

***Original Messages Below***

UPDATE: Suspect Killed in Police Shooting Identified

The suspect killed in a police shooting on February 5, 2026, has been identified as Erik D. Sherrer, 57, of Portland. His family has been notified of his death. The suspect killed in a police shooting on February 5, 2026, has been identified as Erik D. Sherrer, 57, of Portland. His family has been notified of his death.

No further information will be shared at this time.

###PPB###

***Original Messages Below***

Man Wanted for Trying to Shoot Security Officer is Deceased Following Officer Involved Shooting

On Saturday, January 31, 2026 at 1:04 p.m., Portland Police Officers assigned to Central Precinct were dispatched to a grocery store in the 1300 block of Northwest Lovejoy Street on a report of a threat with a weapon. They learned that a suspect had come into the store, approached two uniformed security officers, falsely identified himself as an agent from the United States Secret Service, pointed a handgun at one of security officers, and pulled the trigger. The gun did not fire. The security officers scuffled with the suspect before he fled the scene with the handgun in his possession.

Shotgun seized as evidence on January 31, 2026.

The suspect left behind an instrument case that contained a loaded shotgun. Officers seized the shotgun as evidence. They found threatening messages written on the shotgun shells that specifically named President Donald Trump.

Officers conducted an extensive search of the area attempting to locate the suspect, but he was not found. At the time, officers did not know his identity.

The Enhanced Community Safety Team (ECST) began investigating and coordinated with the United States Secret Service, who provided investigative assistance.Investigators determined the suspect's identity and that he lived in an apartment in the 1600 Block of Northwest 14^th Avenue. They worked with the Multnomah County District Attorney's Office to obtain an arrest warrant for the suspect for charges that include Attempted Assault in the First Degree. The circumstances of this case led to an increased concern about the safety of the public and the officers, so the Special Emergency Reaction Team (SERT) and the Crisis Negotiation Team (CNT) coordinated the service of the warrant.

On Thursday, February 5, 2026 at about 5:15 a.m., officers began serving the warrant. They announced that they were Portland Police, ordered the suspect to come out with his hands empty, and they gave him warnings that force may be used against him if he did not comply. The suspect did not respond. Members of the CNT attempted to make contact to negotiate his surrender but were unable to communicate with him.

Under the circumstances, the officers evacuated the entire floor to get residents to a safe location before they proceeded. The suspect still did not respond to continued efforts to communicate. About 35 minutes later, officers deployed irritant gas munitions, including OC Vapor and CS gas, into the apartment. They were effective and the suspect emerged into the hallway holding a handgun.

Handgun recovered at shooting scene February 5, 2026.

Shots were fired by two PPB SERT officers. One of the PPB SERT officers reported that the suspect had pointed a gun at him. Officers could see the suspect next to the gun, so they tried to get him to move away from it. He did not move away, so officers summoned paramedics (who were staged for this incident), gathered resources, and moved in to take him into custody and render medical aid. The paramedics determined the suspect was deceased. A photo of the suspect's gun is attached.

The suspect's identity will be released after he has been formally identified by the medical examiner and appropriate notifications have been made. No officers or other community members were injured in this incident. The officers who used deadly force will be placed on paid administrative leave. This is standard protocol following an officer-involved shooting.

Portland Police Bureau Detective Division, led by the Homicide Unit, but including ECST, Major Crimes Unit, responded to the scene to investigate the case. If anyone has information about this incident, and has not already spoken to police, please contact [email protected] and reference case number 26-35341.

Chief Bob Day and Multnomah County District Attorney Nathan Vasquez responded to the scene. Chief Day briefed Mayor Keith Wilson and Deputy City Administrator for Public Safety Bob Cozzie on the incident.

As part of the use of force review process, the Bureau will conduct an internal review of the entire incident, including the initial response, resources requested, tactics used, and post shooting actions. The case will go before the Police Review Board (PRB), which is composed of community members, Bureau members, and representatives from the Independent Police Review Division.

The Portland Police Bureau directive outlining the procedures followed after an officer involved shooting may be found at 1010.10 Deadly Force and In-Custody Death Reporting and Investigation Procedures.

The Portland Police Bureau is committed to transparency. The Bureau has an interactive dashboard on its website, which allows users to filter the information based on a variety of data. That includes cases by year with subject injury type, initial call type, subject weapon, demographics, and aggregate statistics.

Once the entire investigation and legal process is complete, the investigative files and any grand jury transcripts regarding this case will be posted on the Bureau's Open Data page. Information available about past officer-involved shootings can be found here OIS Summaries.

###PPB###

***Original Message Below***

PPB Involved in Critical Incident in Pearl District

Officers with the Portland Police Bureau have been involved in a critical incident in the area of Northwest 14^th Avenue and Northwest Raleigh Street in the Pearl District. There is no ongoing threat to the public.

Streets in the area are closed as investigators process the scene.

A PIO is on the way to the scene. Additional information will be shared soon.

###PPB###