The criminal investigation into the fatal police shooting of a Eugene resident will continue into a second week.

Lane County District Attorney Patty Perlow said Friday she's not been given a date on when she'll begin receiving investigative reports from the interagency law enforcement team that is looking into the Jan. 11 shooting in front of Cascade Middle School.

Eugene police said Charles Landeros, 30, was shot and killed during a struggle in front of the school after Landeros allegedly pulled out a handgun. Officers, called to the school after a report of a custody dispute, had been escorting Landeros from the school when the shooting occurred, police said.

No other information has been released publicly.

"I know similar investigations in other counties last months," Perlow said in an email. "The Lane County ... team’s members are required to put these investigations first above their own agency investigations, and our time to completion of the investigations is remarkable."

Perlow has said she will not allow the investigation to be compromised "by the release of information before interviews are complete and evidence is gathered."

She will review the investigative reports and ultimately make a decision on whether the use of the deadly force was justified under state law.

Several residents have criticized officials for not releasing more details about the shooting of Landeros, a social activist and person of color. The names of the involved officers have not been released.

Landeros' family members, through their attorney, Lauren Regan of the Civil Liberties Defense Center, have said they'll hire experts to conduct an independent review of the shooting, voicing concerns about law enforcement's handling of investigations involving fatal shootings of people of color.

Eugene Police Chief Chris Skinner, who's been less than a year on the job, also has pushed for the release of more information. In an email to city councilors last week, Skinner said he supported release of "important information that is of community interest but does not compromise the investigation."

Skinner said his request was "met with some resistance."

Asked about his email, Skinner told The Register-Guard that the fatal shooting has generated strong emotions "and the absence of information has left a lot of speculation and rumors to fill the void."

"I have a duty to the public and to my employees to provide what information I can as soon as I can," he said. "The district attorney also has an important and different set of responsibilities to fulfill and which I honor."

He continued: "Her focus is on ensuring there is a thorough and objective investigation. I respect her decision and authority in this matter."

Skinner met with members of groups representing communities of color Monday. He's declined to discuss what was said at that meeting.

The adopted deadly physical force plan requires the involved agency, in this case the Eugene Police Department, to designate someone in the immediate aftermath of an incident to make an initial public statement, which was done after the Jan. 11 shooting. The statement shall include the time and place of the incident, the condition of the suspect and the nature of the use of deadly force.

The plan gives broad discretion in the public release of additional details of the incident until the district attorney makes his or her final decision on whether the use of force was justified.

It notes the district attorney and primary investigative agency can consult with each other and make a public release of information "as is deemed appropriate."

Follow Christian Hill on Twitter @RGchill. Email christian.hill@registerguard.com.



