Oregon Standoff Ends in Death of Suspect
SALEM, OREGON, APRIL 25, 2015 – Salem Police have confirmed that the suspect involved in a standoff at the Wal-Mart that lasted for several hours has died from his injuries.
Shortly after 11 a.m. on April 24, Salem Police Officers made contact with a person whom they believed to be wanted near the parking area of the Walmart store located at 1940 Turner Rd. SE. During the contact with the male suspect, he fled into a bus that had been converted into a recreational vehicle, and refused to comply with commands to come out.
Officers from Salem Police Department, Keizer Police Department, Marion County Sheriff’s Office and Oregon State Police all responded to the scene to set a safety perimeter and assist.
The Salem Police Department SWAT Team responded, secured the area and immediately began negotiating with the suspect in an effort to get him to surrender. Negotiators spoke with the suspect for several hours in an effort to get him to surrender peacefully. He also fired multiple shots from the vehicle out toward officers, at one time narrowly missing a SWAT officer.
As the negotiations and shots continued, the Marion County Sheriff’s Office, Oregon State Police and Portland Police Bureau sent additional tactical officers and equipment to assist in the situation.
After several hours of negotiations, tactical officers used specialized vehicles to open up the walls of the vehicle in order to be able to see where the suspect was and what he was doing. Once the inside of the vehicle was exposed, the suspect refused to comply, and continued to brandish a handgun. At that time, approximately 6:28 pm, tactical officers fired at the suspect and were able to eventually take him into custody. No officers were injured.
The suspect is not being identified at this time, and he has since died from his injuries.
The Salem Police officers involved in the initial incident were Officer Chad Galusha, Officer Robert Owings, Corporal Tim Dezotell, and Canine Officer Trevor Morrison. The tactical officers involved in the shooting of the suspect were Officer Joshua Edmiston, Officer Vincent Dawson and Officer Sean Bennett
As standard procedure, the Salem Police Department has requested the Oregon State Police investigate this incident, and the investigation will continue in conjunction with the Marion County District Attorney’s Office, as is standard procedure for incidents of this nature. The officers directly involved in the shooting will be placed on administrative leave as standard protocol following a traumatic use of force incident.
