Man Killed With Young Hostage Wrote Suicide Note

PORTLAND - Authorities said yesterday that a suicide note apparently written by a man killed with his 12-year-old hostage in a hail of police gunfire is strong evidence that the man intended to die in a confrontation with officers.

Deputy State Medical Examiner Karen Gunson said the undated note appeared to be from Bryan French, 20, of Portland, to his mother. French was gunned down Thursday morning as he threatened to kill Nathan Thomas, the son of a Portland pediatrician, with a butcher knife.

Police believe the note was written shortly before French set out on a brief crime spree that included another attempted break-in and vandalism, said Sgt. Derrick Foxworth police spokesman.

Police found the four-page note Thursday night in a search of French's apartment.

"I hope to die tonight," French wrote.

Gunson said the note included statements including, " `I love you mom, it's not your fault,' that kind of stuff. It definitely says, `I hope to die tonight.' "

French was hit by 14 police bullets as he held the knife to the boy's neck. The boy died of two gunshots to the head, both from police weapons.

`INTENT TO DIE'

Gunson's office must rule whether French's death was a suicide. "The note is pretty good evidence of his intent to die," she said.

Police went to the middle-class northeast Portland neighborhood about 3:30 a.m. Thursday after receiving a call about a burglary in progress.

A police dog tracked French to a basement window that had been forced open at the home of Dr. Greg Thomas, 38, and his wife, Martha McMurry, 45. Alerted by police, she found French in her son's bed.

The parents and their other son, Benjamin, 8, went into another bedroom as three police officers at the foot of the stairs tried to talk French, who had moved out of the bedroom, into surrendering.

He said French, who was out of the officers' sight at the top of the stairs, shouted at the officers about the suicide note and claimed to have been sexually abused. French also demanded an officer's gun.

Two police officers outside the house fired at French through a window and missed. Foxworth said French then renewed his threat to kill the boy and began a countdown.

" `10-9-8-7-6' and it was clear in those officers' minds that he was in the process of killing the boy,' " Foxworth said.

The three officers rushed upstairs and fired at least 16 times with 14 of the bullets hitting French and two hitting the boy.

French died at the scene. The boy died three hours later at a hospital.

MEMORIAL SERVICE SET

A family friend, Tom Cary of Eugene, said Thomas and McMurry had no public comment about the shootings.

"They're still in a very intense grieving process and they're with their family," he said.

A memorial service for the boy was planned for tomorrow at St. David's Episcopal Church in Portland.

The boy, described by his teachers as friendly, a good student and an aspiring athlete, was in remission with Hodgkin's disease at the time of his death.

His father is a pediatric cancer specialist for the Kaiser Permanente health-care system.

The family moved to Portland last summer from Salt Lake City.

Foxworth said the three officers who fired the fatal shots were on indefinite paid leave.

A grand jury will investigate the shootings, Foxworth said.