OREGON CITY, Ore. — Oregon City police have defended the decision of two police officers to leave a fallen fellow officer on the ground near a shooting suspect for 90 minutes.
Police Chief Jim Band said Monday the two officers responding on Nov. 3 believed Reserve Officer Robert Libke was dead.
When a SWAT team arrived and saw Libke move his arm, officers switched to a rescue mission.
A SWAT team physician says Libke would likely have died in any case.
The 41-year-old Libke was shot while responding to a house fire started by an 88-year-old man who had a gun. The gunman, Lawrence Cambra, then killed himself.
Band says it’s unclear whether the officers who initially saw Libke would have acted differently if they had known he was alive.
