Man killed by Springfield police had traveled to Oregon for mental health services, father says
Man killed by Springfield police had traveled to Oregon for mental health services, father says

Man killed by Springfield police had traveled to Oregon for mental health services, father says

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Man killed by Springfield police had traveled to Oregon for mental health services, father says

Daniel Aron Khan, 38, was shot and killed by a police officer in Springfield, Oregon. His father, Mort Khan, said his son was homeless and struggling with mental illnesses. He said his family had tried to help Daniel Kahn get the help he needed. He apologized for the injuries his son caused to two Springfield police officers and shared his family’s wish that they recover fully. The two injured officers are at home recovering and the officer who fired the deadly shots is on leave pending the outcome of an investigation. He also apologized to a third Springfield officer who shot his son at Happy’s Drive-Thru Car Wash. The officer is still on leave and hasn’t been publicly named, saying they were waiting to notify his family. He had a criminal record in Texas, including convictions for assault and aggravated theft in 2016, possessing a prohibited weapon in 2013 and credit card abuse in 2011, records show. But his father said he believed he was released early “because they could not handle his mental health needs’

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Maribel Brigido Aguirre, 49, of Eugene was seated in her 2024 Subaru Crosstrek, when she saw a man dart into the car wash tunnel, chased by multiple police officers, some in plainclothes and others in uniform. Screenshot from Maribel Brigido Aguirre’s video

Mort Kahn worried that one day he would get a call from police to tell him that the youngest of his three children had died.

That notice came at 10:15 pm. Thursday when a local officer arrived at his Houston home to tell him that his 38-year-old son Daniel Aron Khan had been shot and killed thousands of miles away in Springfield.

Daniel Khan, born and raised in Houston, was homeless and struggling with a variety of mental illnesses, his father said, including anosognosia, a neurological condition that causes a person to reject their illness and symptoms.

He said he believes his son left Texas for Oregon with the idea that he may have easier access to social services and mental health help.

Daniel Kahn had been in Springfield only for a short time before a city police officer shot and killed him Wednesday.

Mort Khan apologized for the injuries his son caused to two Springfield police officers and shared his family’s wish that they recover fully.

He also apologized to a third Springfield officer who shot his son at Happy’s Drive-Thru Car Wash.

Police had been called to Gateway Street at 2:37 p.m. on a report of a disorderly man inside a business.

Mort Kahn said his son had entered a bank, where he had been reportedly harassing staff and patrons. The bank wanted him to leave and had called police, his father was told.

One officer arrived and called for backup after finding Daniel Kahn armed with two knives, police said.

Daniel Kahn stabbed two officers who responded and then ran north on Gateway with other officers in pursuit before he dashed into the car wash, witnesses and police said.

Another Springfield officer followed Daniel Kahn inside the car wash tunnel and shot him, police said.

“I am truly sorry you were put in the position to end my son’s life,” Mort Khan wrote in a message he shared with The Oregonian/OregonLive.

“My sincere hope is that you mend and get the appropriate counseling you need to move on and return to work safeguarding the citizens in Springfield Oregon,” he wrote. “You likely saved an innocent life sometime into the future. I send you a warm forgiving embrace with tears in my eyes and ask that you please heal quickly.”

The two injured officers are at home recovering and the officer who fired the deadly shots is on leave pending the outcome of an investigation. Police haven’t identified any of the officers or publicly named the victim, saying they were waiting to notify his family.

Mort Khan confirmed his son’s death and described Daniel Kahn as an energetic and fun child, calling him the “apple of my eye.”

But he said his son began to show signs of mental illness as a teenager.

3 1 / 3 Daniel Aron Kahn

“Countless times over the last 25 years, members of our family guided and assisted Daniel to check himself into various mental hospitals where he could be assessed and appropriately medicated and guided by trained mental health experts,” his father wrote.

But Daniel Kahn didn’t receive long-term help, his father said.

Despite the family’s efforts, Mort Khan said once his son was getting treatment, taking his medication and obtaining help, he’d feel “invincible and would take off,” only to spiral downwards once again, ending up jobless and homeless.

“All of these facilities that actually helped Daniel were on a completely voluntary basis,” he said. “There appeared to be no mechanism in place that allowed the state government here in Texas or anywhere else that Daniel visited to forcibly hold him for the help he needed.”

Mort Kahn said he learned that his son had traveled to Oregon because he thought he could get better support there. His son also needed medical attention because he had a colostomy bag that needed to be changed regularly.

His family worried that Daniel Kahn could pose a danger to himself or others if he wasn’t taking psychiatric medication, his father said.

Daniel Kahn had a criminal record in Texas, records show, including convictions for aggravated assault, theft and fraud in 2018, possessing a prohibited weapon in 2016, theft in 2013 and credit card abuse in 2011.

Even though he had been in custody in Texas for seriously assaulting someone about six years ago, his father said he believed his son was released early “because they could not handle Daniel’s mental health or medical needs.”

“What happened on July 30, 2025 was in my mind inevitable,” Mort Kahn wrote. “States and the federal government need to find a way to diagnose people with serious mental health conditions, and involuntarily hold them in order to give them the assistance that is required for their illnesses AND to protect the public.”

Daniel Kahn’s family had stayed in touch with him by phone, his father said.

His last contact with his father and a sibling was Wednesday, less than eight hours before he was killed, according to his father.

He had messaged that he had arrived in Springfield. One of his siblings responded by sharing a detailed list of facilities and contact numbers for Daniel Kahn to get help, his father said.

Daniel Kahn wrote back on Wednesday to his father that he wanted to visit Jerusalem, that he had become a pretty good chess player online and asked his father if he could play him in chess online someday.

Mort Kahn shared photos of his son when he was young to show how he was before his illness took hold. Daniel’s mother Teresa Aguilar had died when Daniel Kahn was a teenager after struggling with her own mental health challenges, Mort Kahn said.

“Rest now my son as your tormented life has past, and you are with God and your mother Teresa,” his father wrote. “I can’t imagine how horrible of a life you had to live daily.”

— Maxine Bernstein covers federal court and criminal justice. Reach her at 503-221-8212, mbernstein@oregonian.com, follow her on X @maxoregonian, on Bluesky @maxbernstein.bsky.social or on LinkedIn.

Source: Oregonlive.com | View original article

Source: https://www.oregonlive.com/crime/2025/08/man-killed-by-springfield-police-had-traveled-to-oregon-for-mental-health-services-father-says.html

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