The man was identified by police Thursday as Dennis Lamar Young, 28.

The incident started when Lt. Jeffrey Kaer's sister called the lieutenant Wednesday because she noticed a suspicious car parked in front of her house. When Kaer approached the vehicle, he found a man asleep behind the wheel and called for backup.

After tapping on the driver's side window and getting no response, Kaer opened the door and shook the driver to try to wake him up, said Sgt. Brian Schmautz, Portland police spokesman.

Schmautz said the suspect became combative and gunned the accelerator. The man drove into a tree in an attempt to get away, then placed the car in reverse, heading toward Kaer and another officer.

Police said Kaer fired two shots. An autopsy found the man died of a single wound to the upper torso. The second bullet hit the car.

The shooting comes less than a year after Portland Chief Derrick Foxworth adopted a new policy regarding shooting at a moving vehicle. The chief stated that officers threatened by a car should try to get out of its path instead of firing at it or its occupants.

Detectives investigating the shooting planned to interview Kaer on Thursday. The case will be presented to a Multnomah County grand jury for review.

Kaer, 43, joined the Portland Police Bureau in 1990 and was promoted to lieutenant in 2003. It's the first time a high-ranking Portland police officer has been involved in a deadly shooting in at least two decades, The Oregonian reported.

(Copyright 2006 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.)