A Multnomah County jury Friday convicted a Portland man on 14 counts, including attempted murder in the first degree, for shooting at three Portland police officers during a 2021 traffic stop.
Joshua William Degerness was driving near Southeast 92nd Avenue and Holgate Boulevard on Dec. 11, 2021, when officer Kenneth Jackson attempted to pull him over. Degerness eluded the officer, but Jackson encountered him again a little while later and performed a Pursuit Intervention Technique, or PIT maneuver, and Degerness crashed his vehicle into a tree at Southeast 88th Avenue and Holgate Boulevard, according to a news release from the Multnomah County District Attorney’s Office.
Degerness refused to exit his vehicle, and an officer deployed pepper spray. Degerness then fired a gun at Jackson, Acting Lieutenant Norman Staples and Sergeant Justin Damerville. Jackson and Staples fired at Degerness after he aimed at the three officers, according to the new release.
Degerness was treated at a hospital for a gunshot wound and injuries from the crash.
He was convicted Friday of six counts of attempted murder in the first degree, three counts of attempted assault in the first degree, three counts of unlawful use of a weapon, one count of felon in possession of a firearm and one count of fleeing or attempting to elude a police officer.
The case was prosecuted by Multnomah County Senior Deputy District Attorney Melissa Marrero.
Sentencing is scheduled for April 3. The mandatory minimum sentence for attempted murder in the first degree is 90 months.
— The Oregonian/OregonLive