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When I read this @wweek story about officer #67 this AM, I knew the name Erik Kammerer rung a bell, but couldn't figure out why. Dug into my files from my investigation of the PPB shooting of 17-year-old Quanice Hayes, and sure enough, he was the lead investigator in that case. https://twitter.com/wweek/status/1324781094080708609
Kammerer has been with the department for more than two decades investigating use of force.
One thing that was particularly striking to me about his testimony before a grand jury, was that Kammerer was one point of origin - perhaps not the only one, but a major one - for the narrative that Hayes pointed his fake gun at the officers that surrounded him while on his knees
Even grand jurors had questions about how Kammerer could have come to a conclusion that Hayes pointed the fake gun...
Kammerer's answer was a little thin: he explained that he concluded definitively that Hayes had the gun in hand because ... of a broken window screen?
Deputy District Attorney Donald Rees helped him along in this strange explanation:
Remember: earlier this year, the city of Portland tried to blame the shooting of Hayes on his mom. https://www.oregonlive.com/crime/2020/03/facing-criticism-city-of-portland-withdraws-negligence-claim-against-quanice-hayes-mother.html
I don't write much about PDX issues, but the Hayes case has compelled me for some time. If you're a new follower and have been interested in understanding why Portlanders have been protesting police brutality for months, I encourage you to read this story: https://longreads.com/2018/02/05/a-teen-and-a-toy-gun/
