A heroic police officer rescued a suicidal veteran from a burning shed on Jan. 24, according to accounts in The Oregonian.
The incident occurred in the greater Portland area, in Hillsboro. Officer Stephen Beaver was called to the 46-year-old man’s house around 6:30 PM.
Officer Beaver had encountered the man before and knew he suffered from post-traumatic stress disorder after serving in the military, including time in Iraq.
When the officer arrived, he found the man in his backyard, in full camouflage gear and a flak jacket, holding a Molotov cocktail in one hand and a lighter in the other.
The man then lit the explosive device. He tossed it toward the officer, lighting the grass on fire. The man then went into a wood shed.
Beaver approached the man, who was now armed with a large hunting knife and yelling that he wanted to be killed. Putting down the knife, he threw another explosive device to the ground, lighting the shed on fire.
According to the police report, “Beaver grabbed the man from the shed, while another officer who had arrived helped Beaver cuff the man.” The man was pleading for Beaver to “kill him and put him out of his misery."
Beaver safely transported the man to the VA Medical Center in Portland on an officer’s mental hold. The man was not charged with a crime.
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