Oregon Public Broadcasting

A small crowd gathered at a memorial service Monday for Jack Dale Collins.

Collins was killed by a Portland Police officer in March. He had a history of mental illness. OPB's Sam Sanders reports.

The service took place at St. Francis of Assisi Catholic Church in Portland.

Valerie Chapman works with the church. She used Collins' death as a call to action.

Valerie Chapman: "We are here gathered as a diverse community of people, but a caring community, that at least at this moment is feeling some motivation, some determination to work together so that people who struggle find help instead of an untimely end to their life."

The 58-year-old Collins was killed March 22nd, at Hoyt Arboretum in Washington Park. Police reports claim he was found bloodied and holding a knife while harassing and threatening people in the park.

Just two weeks before, Collins walked into a Portland police station confessing a sex crime and asking for mental health assistance. He was turned away and told to seek help at Cascadia Behavioral Healthcare, a Portland non-profit organization.