Major Crimes Team & Clackamas County District Attorney Investigating Officer Involved Shooting (Final UPDATE) - 09/29/26
UPDATE 6; 9/29/26 8:00 AM
https://www.milwaukieoregon.gov/business_detail_T13_R238.php
Nearly two years after a Milwaukie Police officer-involved shooting, the City of Milwaukie and family of Hunter Newton have agreed to a civil settlement.
On September 30, 2024, Hunter Newton was driving on a misdemeanor suspended license when he was stopped for traffic violations. Mr. Newton stopped his vehicle in the Taco Bell drive-thru located at the Milwaukie Marketplace. When the officers asked and lawfully ordered Mr. Newton to get out of the car, he refused. Officers told him he was under arrest and attempted to remove him from the vehicle, but he resisted. During the struggle to remove Mr. Newton from the vehicle both officers heard a sound they believed to be a gunshot fired by Mr. Newton. Officers then backed away and fired their weapons at Mr. Newton, striking him. Mr. Newton sustained serious injuries from the incident.
While investigators did not locate a weapon from the scene, surveillance footage from a nearby business captured an object being propelled from the vehicle that produced an explosion as it hit the ground near where the officers were dealing with Mr. Newton. Witnesses nearby also reported hearing what they believed was a gunshot prior to the officers firing their weapons. Both Sgt. Sanchez and Officer Akom were later cleared by a Clackamas County Grand Jury returning a “not true bill,” a legal term indicating criminal charges against the officers were not warranted.
While no settlement can change these events or erase their impact, resolving this matter allows all parties to move forward on terms that Hunter Newton’s family and the City have agreed to and without protracted formal litigation. Decisions regarding civil settlements involve many legal and practical considerations and should not be interpreted as an admission of liability.
“As Chief of Police, I recognize the pain and significance of this event. Today's settlement agreement concludes the civil litigation arising from this tragic incident that has profoundly affected the individuals involved, their families, Milwaukie Police Officers and support staff as well the greater Milwaukie community. My focus remains on our department serving our community with professionalism, accountability, and transparency. While creating policies or training for unforeseen things like explosions while dealing with a resistant subject are not easy to do, we continue to evaluate our policies, training, and critical incident response to ensure we provide the highest level of service while protecting the rights and safety of everyone we serve. Our thoughts remain with everyone whose lives have been affected by this incident, and we remain committed to earning and maintaining the trust of our community through our actions every day.”
Chief Ryan Burdick
Additional news releases and information related to this incident can be accessed here:
City of Milwaukie Oregon Official Website
Investigation ongoing in officer-involved shooting in Milwaukie | Clackamas County
Update on Milwaukie Police Department officer-involved shooting from Sept. 30 | Clackamas County
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UPDATE 5; 9/18/25 3:00 PM
Administrative internal investigations are complete for Sgt. Eduardo Sanchez and Officer Kwasean Akom. They are cleared to return to work on September 22nd, 2025.
UPDATE 4; 6/12/25 3:55 PM
The Oregon Department of Justice (DOJ) today announced the conclusion of a criminal investigation related to the officer involved shooting by two Milwaukie Police Officers of Hunter Newton in September of 2024. Oregon DOJ was asked by Clackamas County District Attorney John Wentworth to assume all prosecutorial responsibilities arising from the investigation, which was conducted by the Clackamas County Major Crimes Team (MCT). The Milwaukie Police Department learned the grand jury returned a “not true bill,” meaning the grand jury believed criminal charges against the two law enforcement officers were not warranted.
We recognize and respect the decision of the grand jury and defer to the Oregon DOJ’s process regarding contact with the Newton family and subsequent release of body worn camera (BWC) footage.
“Our thoughts and prayers remain with Hunter Newton and his family, and we recognize the deep and lasting impact this event has had. This incident also has been troubling and difficult for our officers, support staff, city employees and this community. We do not take lightly the impact a significant use of force has on so many.” -Ryan Burdick, Chief of Police.
This week’s grand jury response means the criminal aspect of this incident has concluded. As part of the use of force and policy review process, the Milwaukie Police Department will request the grand jury transcript and independent investigator’s reports from the Oregon DOJ to begin an internal administrative review of the incident.Sergeant Sanchez and Officer Akom will remain on administrative leave pending the completion of that internal review.
Link to Oregon DOJ statement and BWC footage: https://www.doj.state.or.us/media-home/news-media-releases/clackamas-county-grand-jury-finds-insufficient-evidence-for-criminal-charges-in-milwaukie-shooting-involving-police/
UPDATE 3; 10/2/24 4:45 PM
On behalf of the Milwaukie Police Department, I want to express our sincere thoughts and prayers to the family of Hunter Newton, who is currently in the vital care of medical staff and surrounded by family and friends.
This fact-finding process is ongoing. The Milwaukie Police Department is fully committed to cooperating with outside agency investigators and the Clackamas County District Attorney’s Office.
As part the Milwaukie Department’s commitment to transparency, we embraced the implementation of Officer’s body-worn cameras several years ago. We believe the moments these cameras preserve are a source of documentation, accountability, and can help bring clarity to critical situations. Milwaukie Officers were wearing body-worn cameras during this incident, and they were activated at the time of the encounter. The Milwaukie Police Department has released all body-worn camera footage to investigators and Clackamas County District Attorney Office for their use and review in this matter.
As this is an ongoing investigation and to respect the integrity of that process, we will not be sharing further information at this time. The investigation remains active and is being conducted by the Interagency Major Crimes Team and the Clackamas County District Attorney’s Office. Body worn camera recordings of this incident will be shared with the community at the earliest permissible time.
Ryan Burdick, Chief of Police
Milwaukie Police Department
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UPDATE 9/30/24 5:30 AM
During this incident at least one Officer discharged their firearm and a male suspect was struck. The person was taken to a local hospital and their condition is unknown at this time, no Officers were injured and there is no continuing danger to the community. This is an ongoing investigation, further questions about the investigation should be directed to the Clackamas County District Attorney's Office.
https://www.milwaukieoregon.gov/police/clackamas-county-major-crimes-team-investigating-officer-involved-shooting
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Milwaukie OR- On 9/30/24 at approximately 12:55 AM, Milwaukie Officers were involved in a traffic investigation at the 11000 block of SE Oak St. During this investigation at least one Officer discharged their firearm. Clackamas County major crimes team and the Clackamas County district attorney's office are processing the scene. Additional Information will be shared as it becomes available.
https://www.milwaukieoregon.gov/police/clackamas-county-major-crimes-team-investigating-officer-involved-shooting