Police identify Oregon man who tried to seize helicopter

Authorities in a Portland, Oregon, suburb released the identity Wednesday of a man who they say tried to steal a helicopter at gunpoint before being fatally shot by police.

Holden Austin Gorka, 25, had no known address and no known mental health or drug abuse issues, the Hillsboro Police Department said in a statement.

An autopsy was completed Tuesday but results of toxicology tests won't be ready for another two to three months, authorities said.

The name of the officer who fatally shot Gorka will be released Thursday, the statement said.

According to authorities, Gorka jumped a fence at the Hillsboro Airport on Monday and held a flight instructor and a student at gunpoint, firing at least one shot before police showed up. That shot — and possibly a second misfire — were directed away from the victims, who were in the helicopter as it was warming up for takeoff.

The man got into the helicopter, but officers arrived before he could take off. The man then ran across a street and into a field, where he was shot.

The man died at the scene shortly before noon. No other injuries were reported.

Investigators have to yet to establish the man's motive for trying to steal the helicopter, but authorities said Wednesday that he was not connected to the Hillsboro Aero Academy, the airport's flight-training school.

A witness, Christopher Neal, told reporters that he and his family were watching planes at the small airport when he saw a man walking in wearing a gray hoodie. The man looked at them and then started running toward the fence. He pulled a gray mask over his face, Neal said.

The Hillsboro Airport, established in 1928, is one of three airports operated by the Port of Portland.

It's about a 40-minute drive west of the Portland International Airport, the region's main airport.