Two Portland police officers were legally justified in shooting an armed man who traded fire with them at a Southeast Portland gas station last month, the Multnomah County District Attorney’s Office said Thursday.

The officers – Sammy Smith and Spencer Foster – shot and wounded 30-year-old Bryan Velasco-Ruelas Sept. 20 after he fired at them at a Shell gas station on Southeast 122nd Avenue and Division Street. Earlier that morning, Velasco-Ruelas had threatened an employee with his gun at a nearby Space Age and a different Shell gas station before fleeing.

Smith and Foster, who were patrolling the area, found a car with the same license plate and description broadcast over radio, prosecutors wrote. They parked behind the Nissan sedan and gave commands for the driver and passenger to

See Full Page