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Dane Reister, pictured here during one of his Multnomah County court appearances.

(The Oregonian)

Fired Portland police Officer Dane Reister, 43, died of suicide, according to autopsy results Tuesday.

Reister's body was found beside Burlington Northern Railroad tracks in Washougal, Washington, about 10:30 a.m. on Monday.

He died of blunt force trauma injuries, according to the autopsy by the Clark County Medical Examiner's office. The Washougal police released the autopsy results Tuesday in a news release.

Washoughal Detective Kate Tierney said Reister's car was found parked and unoccupied in a lot about 100 yards away.

"We do believe he walked onto the tracks,'' Tierney said Tuesday.

Reister, who was fired by Portland police in October 2013 and faced criminal charges for a 2011 shooting, was found dead beside railroad tracks, between Third and Sixth Street on the south side of the Burlington Northern Railroad tracks.

Crew members on what's called "the local" train traveling from Camas to Washougal spotted the body, stopped the train and backed up to investigate, said Gus Melonas, a railroad spokesman. The crew confirmed the man was on the railroad property.

"It appears the subject was struck by a train earlier,'' Melonas said.

Local police were called to investigate at 10:51 a.m.

On Monday, Portland police had told officers that Reister had parked his truck on the train tracks after initially informing officers that he had walked onto the tracks.

On Tuesday, Washougal police cleared that up, pointing out that Reister's truck was located in a lot nearby.

Washougal Det. Tierney also said she hasn't pinpointed when an earlier train may have struck Reister, but believes it was during the early-morning hours on Monday. She said she's still working with the railroad to determine that time. Tierney also said police did not find any suicide note.

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Acting Portland Police Chief Donna Henderson, filling in for the chief who was out of town, first sent this memo informing bureau members of Reister's sudden death on Monday:

"Today I am sad to report that former Portland Police Officer Dane Reister was killed in Washougal, Washington, after he stepped in front of a moving train this morning. The Washougal Police Department is investigating this tragic event. I know many of you were close with Dane and I would ask that you keep his family in your thoughts and prayers. Donna''

Reister, who lived in Washougal, would have turned 44 next month. He leaves behind a wife and children.

"The PPA and its members are saddened by the heartbreaking news of the passing of Dane Reister. We pray that his family, loved ones, and friends can find comfort in this most difficult time in their faith and love for Dane,'' Officer Daryl Turner, president of the Portland Police Association, wrote to police union members.

Former Portland Police Chief Mike Reese fired Reister in October 2013, citing his unsatisfactory performance when he mistakenly fired lethal rounds from a beanbag shotgun, critically wounding a man in Southwest Portland on June 30, 2011. He had joined the bureau in February 1996.

Reister also became the first Portland officer ever to face a criminal indictment for force used on duty. He pleaded not guilty to third- and fourth-degree assault charges. The Multnomah County District Attorney's office added a negligent wounding charge, which was challenged before Oregon's Court of Appeals.

Legal briefs were filed and oral arguments made before the appellate court, and both sides were awaiting a ruling.

In spring 2013, the city also agreed to pay a record $2.3 million to settle a federal lawsuit filed by William Kyle Monroe, the man wounded by Reister. The suit had called for Reister's firing, but the termination wasn't part of the settlement.

Friends, relatives and colleagues of Reister have turned a Facebook page, which was first created to seek support for his legal defense, into an "Officer Dane Reister Family Support Page.''

A cousin, Tim Reister, wrote: "Dane was a great man. A man with good character and morals and compassion for others. Always caring about others and his family. I grew up with Dane as his cousin, playing together as kids, growing up duck hunting with each other with my dad. I have three sons and hope they grow to be 1/2 the man my friend was.. Dane may you find peace..

I love you and miss you..''

--Maxine Bernstein

mbernstein@oregonian.com

503-221-8212; @maxoregonian