Oregon needs more options for mandatory long-term treatment of mental illness, Multnomah County District Attorney Nathan Vasquez said Monday after police identified the perpetrator in Saturday’s attack on the Multnomah Athletic Club.
Bruce Whitman, 49, had multiple contacts with police over the past five years, after neighbors and others reported Whitman had violent delusions centered on the MAC, where he worked from 2012 until he was fired in 2019.
Portland police had forced Whitman to surrender two guns in February under what’s known as a “red flag” law. Also called extreme risk protection orders, they allow police and household members to petition a judge to temporarily remove guns from individuals threatening violence or suicide…