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low angle low section view of a blind man walking with the aid of a white stick

Source: George Doyle / Getty

Relatives of a man who was shot and killed by a Portland police officer say he was legally blind and suffered from paranoid schizophrenia.

OregonLive reports 36-year-old Andre Catrel Gladen was shot at a southeast Portland home and declared dead at a hospital Sunday.

According to his twin brother Fonte Gladen, he lost an eye at least five years ago when he was shot in the head with a shotgun.

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Andre Gladen had been living with his mother in Sacramento and receiving disability benefits but moved to Portland to stay with his cousin Diamond Randolph in December.

Family members also said that Gladen suffered from paranoid schizophrenia and had been in and out of hospitals in the past.

He was last seen about 7 a.m. Sunday leaving his cousin’s apartment.

“He had been up, talking and everything was cool,’’ Randolph said. She said she didn’t know where he was headed when he left her apartment.

“He said, ‘I’ll be back, and then I never heard from him again,’’’ Randolph told the publication.

By 1 p.m. Sunday, Gladen was reportedly pounding on the front door of a stranger’s home. He was dressed but had no shoes on and said someone named “Ernest’’ had told him to go to the home for help, said the the man who lives there, Desmond Pescaia.

Gladen reportedly told Pescaia that he had been released from a hospital and someone was after him, trying to kill him. Pescaia offered Gladen some water and $10 to grab the train and get some food, but Gladen fell asleep on the porch.

Pescaia called police around 2 p.m. When an officer arrived, Gladen ran inside the home and fell on the living room floor.

Officer Consider Vosu followed and struggled to turn Gladen onto his stomach to try to handcuff him, but Gladen kicked the officer off and into a bedroom, Pescaia told The Oregonian/OregonLive in an interview. The officer, reportedly found himself cornered in the bedroom and fired a Taser at Gladen after several warnings to get back, Pescaia said. Gladen fell down but got back up.

Gladen then allegedly pulled a knife and went toward the officer and Vosu fired three shots from his handgun, Pescaia said. Gladen was taken by ambulance and declared dead at a local hospital, police said.

Gladen’s brother said his twin needed help.

“Why would he fall asleep at someone’s front door?’’ Fonte Gladen said. “This dude wasn’t looking to hurt anybody. … Instead of just getting help for the person, they just kill him.’’

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Man Killed By Portland Police Was Legally Blind  was originally published on blackamericaweb.com