No chance to de-escalate before police fatally shoot Nordstrom Rack theft suspect, cops say

Two Beaverton police officers responding to a reported theft at Nordstrom Rack on Monday had only moments to react before a suspect fired a gun, investigators said Wednesday.

One of the officers shot the suspect during the altercation, Washington County sheriff's officials said.

“The officers faced a deadly threat,” said county sheriff's detective Shannon Wilde. “Given the speed at which the situation developed, de-escalation was not an option.”

Wilde said investigators are still reviewing bodycam and surveillance footage of the fatal shooting of Jacob D. Bundy, 39. Sheriff's officials said Bundy was observed stealing merchandise by employees of the Oregon 217 discount clothing store across from Washington Square Mall shortly before 8 p.m. Monday.

Officers encountered Bundy on the sidewalk in front of the store's front door, and neither officer was able to get into the store before the shooting occurred, Wilde said.

The investigator did not want to reveal any further details – such as how many times Bundy was shot or the names of the two police officers involved, who are said to have suffered minor injuries while wrestling with Bundy.

Wilde said the officers' injuries did not require medical treatment.

Washington County dispatch audio shows an ambulance was called to the Cascade Plaza mall for an emergency response at the time of the shooting. Beaverton police sent backup to the scene, and sheriff's deputies took over high-priority calls in the area.

Both Beaverton police officers involved in Bundy's shooting have been placed on leave as per standard protocol while the investigation into the shooting continues.

Bundy had a long history of drug addiction and arrests, court records show, and spent time in both juvenile and adult prisons. Most recently, he was sentenced to two years in prison in Multnomah County in 2019 for possessing a gun as a felon, court records show.

Records indicate that Bundy grew up in the Aloha area and had at least one daughter in Medford.

In a brief interview, his mother, Vera Sailors, 64, said she was grieving but did not believe her son would pull out a gun.

Nordstrom has not responded to questions about the shooting or the reported theft at its store.

—Zane Sparling covers breaking news and court issues for The Oregonian/OregonLive. Reach him at 503-319-7083, [email protected] or @pdxzane.

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