On May 5, 2003, 21-year-old Kendra Sarie James was shot and killed during a traffic stop on a North Portland freeway overpass. She was a passenger who, after the driver and another passenger were taken into custody for outstanding warrants, climbed into the driver’s seat and attempted to leave. Officer Scott McCollister, one of three officers at the scene, moved to stop her. Accounts differ about the struggle that followed: McCollister tried to pull her from the car and removed a wig, another officer tried a Taser, and McCollister says pepper spray failed to deploy.

McCollister then drew his service weapon, held it to James’ head, and fired one shot when he said he felt the car begin to move; the bullet struck her in the hip and entered her torso, causing a fatal wound. Officers removed and handcuffed her and did not immediately check vital signs, with at least one officer later saying he thought she was faking unconsciousness. A grand jury declined to charge McCollister criminally. An internal disciplinary suspension was later imposed but overturned by an arbitrator, who ordered back pay after finding the internal affairs investigation was improper. The James family pursued a civil rights lawsuit. Did anyone who knew Kendra or witnessed the stop come forward with additional details that could clarify those moments before the shot was fired?