Police say woman's stabbing injuries are self-inflicted
PORTLAND, Ore. - Portland Police said a woman who was found injured in Northeast Portland early Monday morning apparently stabbed herself.
Officers responded to a report of an assault at about 1:30 a.m. near NE 9th Avenue and Alberta Street in the King neighborhood. Police said the caller told them they found a female down on the ground who appeared to have been assaulted.
Police said the woman had "at least one stab wound." She was taken to a hospital but her condition has not been released. She has not been identified.
But later in the morning, police issued a press release saying "based on their investigation," they believe the woman's injuries were self-inflicted.
Officers established a perimeter around the area and talked to local residents but no suspect description was ever released.
The investigation revealed that she apparently stabbed herself? Stab wounds can definitely be self-inflicted, ask any "cutter". Given the totality of the circumstances, investigators can sometimes rule out an assault, even without a confession by the alleged assault victim. If indeed she did this to herself, she needs some mental health intervention for sure.
Under "COMMON LAW", suicide was a felony that was punished by the forfieture of goods and property of the offender. Under modern U.S. law, suicide is no longer a crime. Some states do classify 'attempted suicide' as a crime, but it is rarely prosecuted, as the offender is considered mentally ill and is ordered to undergo treatment. A person who causes the death of another while trying to commit suicide, may be guilty of murder or manslaughter.
Mentally ill people are everywhere and to every degree from passive to aggressive. Until we get funding for more programs designed to diagnose and treat them, we will continue to see actions such as this and worse. Right now, in 2013, the mental health funding is back to the amount that it was in the 1940's. It has been cut that much over the years. Look what those cuts have achieved: more people committing violent acts, more people clogging up the prisons, less hospitals & clinics equipped for dealing with mental illness, and suicide continues to rise. Yet mental illnesses are still not recognized as the problem that it is while drug and alcohol abuse help is abundant. Yes, drugs/alcohol abuse can be related to mental illness but it's not always so. Many choose to drink or do drugs. I don't think anyone chooses to be mentally ill.
Gad she survived, I hope she gets the mental health she needs.
Glad she didn't get hold of a gun. She, and others, might well be dead now.
 @Mechanic A chainsaw would have been awesome, though, huh?
Ohhh shut up, you're foolish
She obviously felt she had to defend herself against her attacker. bipolar---> ) : )
@UselessOpinion At least they didn't have to look far for a suspect.
While suicide is a crime regardless of how stupid the concept is, will she be charged with assaulting herself?
 @axpman As of 2013, no state in the Union still has a law making suicide a crime.
There was at one time though.... abolished for the stupidity of it all ???
 @felines99 There is a sign up at Vista Bridge that says suicide is a crime.
 @axpman "By the early 1990s only two states still listed suicide as a crime, and these have since removed that classification." (Wiki)
@axpman @felines99 A crime and a shame but not against the law
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 @Dr. Rawdog Death penalty?
Life penalty?
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 @TheUglyTruth And what about SE Portland, Downtown, Beaverton, Gresham, Salem, etc? Crime is everywhere and this could have happened anywhere. She happened to be in NE. Doesn't mean she lives in that area.
 @Kymberlie2873  @TheUglyTruth Northeast gets a bad rap because it's filled with black people. Nothin' bad ever happens in Incestacada or Friend.In fact, I don't think there's been a crime in the community of Friend for decades.
 @Playanekes  @TheUglyTruth Also, if you look at the Multnomah County Sheriff's website, you can see who has been booked each day. While there are Black, the majority of arrests are White. Charges mostly stem from drugs, domestic violence, DUII, and theft. Although forgery and identity theft are on the rise and becoming more prevalent.
 @Playanekes  @TheUglyTruth North Portland gets the same rap from the 80's still yet I have lived here over 25 years of my life and I feel safer here than I do anyplace else. I have no qualms about  taking a walk at 2 am if I am feeling restless. Sadly, by listening to the police scanner, I hear SE calls more than anything else. All places with high populations are going to have crime. Even places with low populations have crime. I have a friend that lives in a small town near Roseburg who recently got assaulted and almost raped. The area she lives in is quiet and filled with families. Yet it still happened. Thankfully, she fought him off and the police caught him.
@TheUglyTruth You would.