The shooting of a 23-year-old Milwaukie man nearly two years ago has led one local government to settle with him and his family while another may soon find itself in federal court.

Hunter Newton, who was shot during a traffic stop with Milwaukie Police Department officers on Sept. 30, 2024, and his parents settled with the city for $18 million, both sides announced Tuesday.

Newton’s parents noted their son remains incapacitated from the shooting and will need lifelong medical care. One of more than a dozen bullets fired by local police struck him in the head, they said.

“Hunter will need round-the-clock care, medical specialists, and life-long monitoring of the bullet lodged in his brain,” his father Brian Newton said in a prepared statement.

Milwaukie Police Department Chief Ryan Burdick acknowledged Newton’s future health struggles in his own prepared remarks. He also noted that a grand jury found the two officers involved had acted lawfully on the night of the shooting.

“I recognize the pain and significance of this event,” Burdick wrote. “Our thoughts remain with everyone whose lives have been affected by this incident and we remain committed to earning and maintaining the trust of our community through our actions every day.”

The night of the shooting, Milwaukie sergeant Eduardo Sanchez and officer Kwasean Akom stopped and approached Newton’s car initially for failing to signal properly while making a turn.

The traffic stop occurred at 12:50 a.m., according to records, and took place at a Taco Bell in a shopping center near the intersection of Highway 224 and Southeast Oak Street. Newton was 21 years old at the time.

Officers learned Newton had a suspended license and tried to arrest him, according to the statements and court records. A struggle ensued.

The family and Burdick’s statements said that an unidentified sound went off and investigators still haven’t figured out what caused it. Officers on the scene, Burdick said, mistook the sound for a gunshot.

“Officers then backed away and fired their weapons at Mr. Newton, striking him,” Burdick wrote. “Mr. Newton sustained serious injuries from the incident.”

While Newton and his parents noted in court records that the source of the sound hasn’t been found, they wrote that it was quieter than a gunshot.

“Hunter was unarmed, but in a matter of minutes, the stop went from routine to nearly fatal as officers at the scene fired sixteen bullets into Hunter’s vehicle,” wrote attorneys of the firm Kell, Alterman & Runstein.

Meanwhile, last Friday, the family filed a federal lawsuit against Clackamas County alleging its sheriff’s deputies failed to get Newton medical treatment at the scene. The first deputies arrived at the scene around 1 a.m., court records said.

Clackamas County Sheriff’s Office declined to comment, citing active litigation.

In the lawsuit, Newton’s attorneys identified 14 deputies who arrived after Newton was shot but spent nearly 40 minutes deliberating over when and how to approach the vehicle before getting him medical attention.

The Milwaukie officers on scene had told the deputies about a “pop” noise but affirmed they hadn’t seen a gun.

While an ambulance arrived around 1:05 a.m., deputies kept the scene locked down. Attorneys wrote that Newton “would periodically move in his seat” and that deputies noted his eyes were closed and “he’s just kind of flailing.”

According to the complaint, the deputies shouted at Newton that they couldn’t provide medical treatment until they saw his hands. But Newton did not react.

One deputy fired at least three 40-millimeter sponge rounds, which are designed to be less lethal, at Newton in his car. Each time, Newton did not react, according to court records.

It wasn’t until nearly 1:40 a.m. that deputies approached Newton’s vehicle behind a ballistic shield, took him out of his seat and allowed paramedics to begin administering first aid.

News Source : https://www.opb.org/article/2026/09/29/milwaukie-police-portland-oregon-lawsuit-settlement-hunter-newton/