Linn County DA to review fatal police shooting of Albany man in mental health crisis

An investigation of this month’s fatal police shooting of an Albany man in a mental health crisis now rests with Linn County District Attorney Doug Marteeny, who will decide whether to present Albany police officers’ use of deadly force to a grand jury for possible criminal charges.

On Feb. 8, Albany police officers and Linn County Sheriff’s Office deputies responded to a call about 34-year-old Julius Hamilton, who was reportedly suicidal. He was parked in his car at a Linn County fishing spot off Interstate 5.

According to a Facebook post by the Albany Police Department, Hamilton’s family members also were at Freeway Lakes Park in Albany trying to communicate with him while he was in crisis. They screamed “no, no” as he pointed a pistol to his head, then down to his side, then at officers.

Albany police said officers and Linn County Sheriff’s deputies tried defuse the situation.

But a trained crisis negotiator had not yet arrived when two officers — Eric Tress and Ken Fandrem — each fired one round at Hamilton, killing him.

Police have not said whether Hamilton ever fired, but they said they found a handgun near his body.

Tress has worked for the Albany Police Department for 10 years, and Fandrem for 23 years. The department put both officers on critical incident leave following the shooting.

“Our deepest condolences go out to all of the families involved and the family members that had to bear witness to this tragic event,” the police department wrote in the Facebook post, for which public commenting was deactivated.

The Corvallis Police Department led the investigation of the shooting and turned over evidence and witness statements to the Linn County district attorney on Thursday.

If prosecutors present the shooting to a grand jury, it will decide if the use of force was justified.

A GoFundMe page taking donations for Hamilton’s funeral expenses said he was the father of three children ages 3, 8 and 11 and enjoyed fishing and fixing cars. Hamilton was featured in an article by a weekly Lebanon newspaper in 2019, when he worked at a locally owned gun shop. According to his Facebook page, Hamilton was previously an armed security guard and owned a gun sale company called Up in Arms Outdoors LLC.

Oregon law enforcement shot and killed 23 people last year, according to data collected by police watchdog Portland Copwatch.

In Oregon, 833 people died by suicide – the ninth leading cause of death in the state – in 2020, according to the most recently available data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

– Savannah Eadens; seadens@oregonian.com; 503-221-6651; @savannaheadens

If you or someone you know is considering suicide, help is available. Call or text 988 for 24-hour, confidential support, or visit 988lifeline.org.