Death by Cop 2021-2025
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Dominique J. Ware
Age : 35
Gender : Male
Race : Black
Date : 02/14/2025
Location : Multnomah County Detention Center, 1120 SW 3rd Avenue
City : Portland
County : Multnomah
State : Oregon
Agency : U.S. Marshals Service; Multnomah County Sheriff’s Office
Officer(s) :Not disclosed
Cause of Death : Overdose
Event : Died after medical emergency during jail intake following arrest
OPEN RECORDS SUMMARY :
On 02/12/2025, U.S. Marshals arrested Dominique J. Ware, 35, on a federal warrant and transported him to the Multnomah County Detention Center. During intake Ware repeatedly reported swallowing drugs, at one point telling a deputy he had swallowed “a bunch of dope.” Early on 02/13, Ware developed seizure-like activity; at approximately 4:30 a.m., a deputy requested medical assistance after seeing him shaking, but approximately 50 minutes elapsed before emergency treatment. Staff subsequently found Ware unresponsive and not breathing, performed CPR and transported him to Oregon Health & Science University, where he was diagnosed with extensive brain injury. His family placed him on comfort care, and he died at 11:45 p.m. on 02/14/2025. The medical examiner determined the cause of death was acute cocaine and amphetamine toxicity.
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Ware was Portland-born, worked in warehouses and made hip-hop and R&B music. His family questioned why his repeated statements about ingesting drugs and subsequent medical deterioration did not produce a faster emergency response. The Multnomah County District Attorney declined criminal charges against jail personnel in August 2026; the sheriff’s internal investigation identified policy violations connected to the response.
