Oregon Public Broadcasting

Portlanders are digesting news that police officers will not be charged in the shooting of a young man during a traffic stop earlier this month. April Baer reports.

The Multnomah County DA announced late yesterday that a grand jury found that officers committed no crimes when 25-year-old Keaton Otis was shot to death. Police say he was armed.

It's extremely uncommon for officers to be charged after shooting a civilian.

All the same, the finding doesn't sit well with many members of Portland's African-American community.

Leroy Haynes: "I really think there is no confidence at all that the grand jury system is holding officers accountable. There's very little expectation."

Pastor Leroy Haynes is a member of the Albina Ministerial Alliance. The group is conducting its own investigation of the shooting. Haynes isn't sure when that report will be done.

The Alliance has been advocating for a change in state statute that would tighten the standards grand juries use to judge officer-involved shootings.

The grand jury spent four days hearing testimony, and 35 minutes deliberating before reaching its conclusion.