A man shot by Milwaukie police didn’t receive help for half an hour, family says

The family of a man shot by Milwaukie Police Department officers nearly three weeks ago remains in critical condition with an inoperable bullet in the brain, his family said in a news release Friday.

The family also alleged through their attorneys that Milwaukie police officers waited “almost half an hour or more” before providing medical attention to 21-year-old Hunter Newton. The family has hired lawyers and may be preparing to take legal action.

“We are deeply concerned that the officers violated Hunter’s constitutional rights,” wrote lawyers at the Portland law firm Kell, Alterman & Runstein.

“Information at this time indicates that the officers had no reason to escalate the encounter to the point where Hunter could lose his life or suffer life-altering injuries,” the attorneys added.

Milwaukie police officers stopped Newton in the parking lot of a Taco Bell in Clackamas County around 1 a.m. on Sept. 30. District officials later said Newton had a suspended driver’s license and refused to exit the vehicle.

“Despite orders to get out and efforts to remove Newton from the car, he continued to refuse and resist removal,” Clackamas County prosecutors said in a statement.

Newton was unarmed. According to his family, Newton was in the driver’s seat. The two officers — identified as Sgt. Eduardo Sanchez and Officer Kwasean Akom – reportedly opened fire through the back window.

Bullets hit Newton in his shoulder and the back of his head, the family said. He remains at Oregon Health & Science University.

A spokesman for the Milwaukie Police Department declined to comment on the family’s statements Friday.

“Our thoughts and prayers continue to go out to Hunter Newton and his family in hopes of a full recovery,” Sgt. Mark Inman said in an email.

It remains unclear how the situation escalated into deadly violence. According to court records, Newton was charged with driving under the influence in April, but he was not convicted.

The records also show that Newton and the Multnomah County District Attorney’s Office, which charged him with drunken driving, were working to place him in a diversion program.

Video of the shooting shows police vehicles blocking Newton’s vehicle in the Taco Bell parking lot. The officers wore body cameras and the footage was turned over to investigators. This footage has not been released to the public.

The Oregon Department of Justice is leading the investigation. Clackamas County District Attorney John Wentworth formally requested the takeover from the DOJ on October 9th.