2 decapitated deer heads left near Black Lives Matter and Biden/Harris signs in Lake Oswego, police say
Two decapitated deer heads were found in the same neighborhood of Lake Oswego Thursday, one near a Biden/Harris political campaign sign and the other on a front lawn of a home next to a Black Lives Matter sign, a Lake Oswego police sergeant said.
About 9:19 a.m., Lake Oswego police received the first report of a deer head at the intersection of Greentree Road and Campus Way. It was found near the political sign in a public right away on the corner with a trash bag nearby, Sgt. Tom Hamann said.
At 12:23 p.m, police received the report of the second decapitated deer head found on the front lawn of a home in the 2700 block of Greentree Road, this time next to a Black Lives Matter sign, the sergeant said. The residents of the home are white, he said.
Lake Oswego police are seeking the public’s help for information.
“We’re talking to neighbors and we’re looking for video,” Hamann said. “There’s no note. There’s nothing written with it. We don’t want to make assumptions. We’re trying to look into it and determine who did it and why.”
A group called “Respond to Racism LO,” posted on its Facebook page Friday about the deer head left beside the Black Lives Matter sign on the front lawn of a home: “The message sent is clear and loud. We will be mobilizing so stay tuned – for now please keep the families in your hearts and thoughts.”
The police sergeant said police will investigate whether the deer heads were dropped in the locations as potential bias crimes but that officers also aren’t ruling out that the deer head discoveries were the handiwork of animals.
“Honestly, we still haven’t ruled out entirely that an animal did some of this. There are hunters in town, and it is deer hunting season,” he said. “They will often dispose of the deer heads after cleaning out the animals. Maybe someone disposed of it improperly and an animal got hold of it.”
Hamann added, “Considering how contentious everything is with the election and everything else, people are losing their minds about it and drawing conclusions. We, of course, have to be careful not to do that and follow the facts where they lead us.”
Anyone with information is asked to call the Lake Oswego Police Department non-emergency line at (503) 635-0238. Information can also be provided anonymously using the department’s “Submit a Tip” form on its website.
Victims of bias incidents or crimes also can contact the state’s bias crime hotline at 1-844-924-BIAS (2427), or make a report online at Stand Against Hate website.