Mother wants information on son's death

SILVERTON, Ore., July 4 (UPI) -- The mother of a young Irishman shot dead by Oregon police says officials haven't told her much about her son's death but she knows he was shot seven times.

In an interview with the Irish broadcaster RTE, Dorothea Hanlon said the Silverton (ore.) Police Department had given her little information about the Monday night encounter between her son, Andrew, and an officer responding to a burglary call.

"You cannot raise a gun and shoot an unarmed person," Dorothea Hanlon said. "I'm waiting to see what the results of the autopsy will be to see exactly where my son was shot."

Hanlon, a Dublin resident, had gone to Oregon to stay with his sister, who is married to a U.S. citizen, and had stayed on after his visa expired. Melanie Heise said that after her brother moved out of her home she noticed that he appeared mentally ill.

The Silverton Police Department has placed the officer, Tony Gonzalez, on administrative leave pending an investigation of the shooting.

About 100 people held a demonstration outside the police department Wednesday.

Submit to