PORTLAND, Ore. (KOIN) — A woman is recovering after investigators say a man hit her over the head with a rock while she was standing on the side of a street.
The incident reportedly took place near The Unity Center for Behavioral Health in the Lloyd District.
The woman allegedly had seen the suspect walking back and forth but didn’t think anything of it. She then turned and felt a sharp impact on her head.
Court documents revealed that Dwayne Anthony Simpson, the man accused of hitting the woman with the rock, had just been released from the Unity Center and didn’t know the victim.
Documents also showed that Simpson had a “violent conviction record including violent felonies” and was a “danger to community and current victim.” Additionally, Simpson has had a history of drug use.
There have been several recent instances where someone with mental health and addiction issues attacked someone in a public place. Unfortunately, mental health resources in Oregon are lacking right now.
“Oregon is struggling right now … behavior health, like other industries, is experiencing the workforce crisis,” said Heather Jefferis, the executive director of the Oregon Council of Behavioral Health.
Those court documents also say officers recognized Simpson from previous calls. One statement said that “the defendant was homicidal/suicidal and wanted to kill woman or child.” A different call said that after Simpson was released from Emanuel Medical Center, he was “very amped up” and screaming that he was “going to bash a woman’s skull in.”
