K-9 Kylo died on what was scheduled to be his final shift after six years with the Portland Police Bureau.
PORTLAND, OR — A man identified by police as the suspect in a Gresham homicide and a Portland Police Bureau K-9 were killed Thursday during a multiagency operation to arrest the man in Southeast Portland, authorities said.
The shooting happened at about 1:45 p.m. Sept. 24 near Southeast 97th Avenue and Southeast Oak Street, near the Chestnut Tree Inn and just north of Southeast Stark Street. The U.S. Marshals Service Pacific Northwest Violent Offender Task Force was working on behalf of the East County Major Crimes Team when officers encountered the wanted man. Portland police said shots were fired, the man was struck and he was pronounced dead at the scene despite lifesaving efforts. A firearm was recovered at the scene.
The confrontation followed a homicide investigation that began hours earlier in Gresham. Gresham police said officers were sent at about 7 a.m. to conduct a welfare check at a home on Southeast Market Street near Southeast 182nd Avenue. Officers found a person dead inside the home, and investigators determined the person had been killed. Detectives identified a suspect, who was spotted before noon near Southeast Pine Street and Southeast 99th Avenue in Portland. Gresham authorities then sought help from the U.S. Marshals task force and other agencies to take the man into custody.
Gresham police said the man tried to flee when officers attempted to arrest him, and an officer-involved shooting followed. Portland police said preliminary information indicated two Portland officers and two officers from other agencies were involved in the shooting. Authorities had not released the names of the man or the Gresham homicide victim as of Friday morning. Police also had not released a detailed account of who fired during the confrontation or the sequence of gunfire.
Portland police K-9 Kylo was wounded during the shooting and taken for emergency veterinary treatment. He later died from his injuries. Kylo had served with the Portland Police Bureau for six years, and Thursday was scheduled to be his final shift before retirement. Police Chief Bob Day described the planned final day as one that was supposed to mark Kylo’s service and retirement rather than his death.
Police later held a procession as Kylo’s body was taken from emergency veterinary care to the Oregon Humane Society’s Animal Crimes Forensic Center. The dog’s death drew an emotional response from members of the bureau. Police officials said K-9 teams play a significant role in operations involving potentially dangerous suspects and described Kylo as a member of the police family.
The U.S. Marshals Service Pacific Northwest Violent Offender Task Force includes personnel from several law enforcement agencies. Portland police said Thursday’s operation was planned in advance and was connected to the Gresham homicide investigation. Day also said the federal law enforcement presence at the scene was related to violent-crime enforcement and not immigration enforcement.
The Portland Police Bureau Homicide Unit is investigating the officer-involved shooting. The two Portland officers involved were placed on paid administrative leave under bureau policy. Portland police said the incident will also undergo an internal use-of-force review examining the response, resources, tactics and actions taken after the shooting. The case is expected to go before the Police Review Board as part of the bureau’s established review process.
The Gresham Police Department and East County Major Crimes Team are separately investigating the homicide that preceded the Portland shooting. Authorities said there was no continuing danger to the community after the confrontation. Additional details, including the identity of the man killed in Portland, were expected to be released when investigators determine it is appropriate.
Author note: Last updated September 25, 2026.