Portland Police Chief Bob Day apologizes for ‘exacerbating’ pain after ‘error’ in reporting on 2022 Normandale Park shooting

Chief Day, who came out of 2019 retirement to be the acting Chief of Portland Police in September 2023, wanted to clarify several alleged "errors" that were made in the Portland Police Bureau's initial press release surrounding the Normandale Park mass shooting that he said "forever changed Portland's history."

"I want to take the opportunity to acknowledge the incredible pain and trauma this tragedy has caused, particularly to the survivors and families of those we lost," Chief Day said in the video. "In addition, I want to recognize the role the Portland Police Bureau played in exacerbating that pain."

"Following the shooting, PPB issued a news release calling the perpetrator of this violent act a homeowner when, in fact, he was not. Additionally, the victims were mischaracterized as armed protesters when, in fact, they were unarmed traffic safety volunteers," he continued. "While we later corrected our written statement to identify the perpetrator as an armed area resident, we did not clarify that this was an unprovoked attack on an innocent group of people. We understand the harm this error caused and for that, we are deeply sorry," he concluded.

The Portland Police Chief's statement was not well received on social media.

Journalist Andy Ngo questioned why he was on an "Antifa apology tour" and reported several inaccuracies Chief Bob Day made in his apology video. Ngo said that while the "shooting was horrific" a group of "violent extremists, some of them armed and with a history of violence, illegally occupied a public area. When a resident accosted them, he shot five of them in the confrontation, killing one. Then he was shot by one of the armed Antifa protesters. The PPB was entirely accurate at the time in stating the crowd included 'armed protesters.'"

On February 19, 2022, Benjamin Smith, 46, shot five people, killing one and critically wounding another. The deceased victim was identified as 60-year-old June "T-Rex" Knightly, who died at the scene. The 32-year-old individual who was critically wounded, identified by the nickname "Deg," decided to remove her ventilator in July 2024. Her death was listed as a homicide, according to the Oregonian.

Smith, who was shot by an armed Antifa militant during the act of violence, was sentenced to life in prison. He is serving his time at the Snake River prison.

Before he released the apology, Chief Day said that he had met with the shooting victims' families and concerned community members to discuss the incident. He also commended the Antifa shooter for neutralizing the threat.