Apr-24-2015 12:14
Police Involved Shooting Puts Mission Lakes WalMart on Lockdown (UPDATE)
Bonnie King Salem-News.com
A man is barricaded in a motor home, shooting at police.
Turner Road is closed temporarily while the police action is underway. Photo by Austin King
(SALEM, Ore.) - Salem Police have the roads blocked leading to Turner Road where WalMart is under a complete lockdown at this time. Employees are inside, and no one is leaving.
Reports indicate that there is an "active tactical situation", a shooting incident, under way near the entrance of Cascades Gateway Park, in WalMart's south parking lot. A SWAT team has been activated and may have arrived by this time.
Salem Police Information Officer Lt. Dave Okata said, "This remains a tactical and dynamic situation."
This all apparently began as a "suspicious vehicle" investigation about 11 a.m. today, and upon talking to the bus-motorhome's driver, police discovered he had a warrant out of Linn County, and probation violation out of Wyoming, according to reports.
The suspect shot a police dog with a small caliber handgun. They have reportedly returned fire with the unidentified man while serving an arrest warrant, said Salem Police Lt. Dave Okada during a press conference. No one else was injured and the police dog is expected to survive.
The suspected shooter barricaded himself inside the bus/motorhome after the shooting, Okada said.
(UPDATE 1:05 p.m.) Now the suspect has reportedly threatened "to blow up the bus if they don't back off". According to scanner traffic, officials don't believe the suspect has the propane and natural gas necessary for an explosion.
According to the Statesman Journal, police described a suspect as a white male, bald, with a beard, and bright blue eyes. The suspect is apparently still barricaded inside a motor home and shots have been fired from the motor home.
Turner Road remains closed and WalMart's south parking lot was evacuated, and police are attempting to evacuate any other people who may be in the line of fire.
(UPDATE 1:54 p.m.) The Salem Police canine that was injured in today's incident is named Baco. Baco was treated at an animal hospital and has been released to go home. His handler is Officer Trevor Morrison who was involved in a deadly officer involved shooting in 2014, when Jacklynn Ford was shot and killed.
(UPDATE 2:35 p.m.) Police are giving the suspect "surrender instructions".
(UPDATE 3:40 p.m.) The situation on Turner Rd is still an active tactical situation. The suspect has fired more shots from inside of the vehicle, but there have been no further injuries.
(UPDATE 3:50 p.m.) More than a dozen gas canisters were fired into the bus. WalMart customers that have been holed up in the store are being shuttled to their friends/families. They will have to come back for their vehicles when the police scene has cleared.
(UPDATE 5:50 p.m.) Police used an armored vehicle to ram the bus/motorhome.
(UPDATE 6:15 p.m.) Police shot multiple times into a hole in the bus just after 6 p.m. The suspect, who was visibly wounded, slid out of the bus but was still alive. Officers surrounded him, tied his arms and legs with zip ties and took him into an armored vehicle. He was transported to Salem Hospital.
THE END
Police Involved Shooting Puts Mission Lakes WalMart on Lockdown (UPDATE)
Bonnie King Salem-News.com
A man is barricaded in a motor home, shooting at police.
Turner Road is closed temporarily while the police action is underway. Photo by Austin King
(SALEM, Ore.) - Salem Police have the roads blocked leading to Turner Road where WalMart is under a complete lockdown at this time. Employees are inside, and no one is leaving.
Reports indicate that there is an "active tactical situation", a shooting incident, under way near the entrance of Cascades Gateway Park, in WalMart's south parking lot. A SWAT team has been activated and may have arrived by this time.
Salem Police Information Officer Lt. Dave Okata said, "This remains a tactical and dynamic situation."
This all apparently began as a "suspicious vehicle" investigation about 11 a.m. today, and upon talking to the bus-motorhome's driver, police discovered he had a warrant out of Linn County, and probation violation out of Wyoming, according to reports.
The suspect shot a police dog with a small caliber handgun. They have reportedly returned fire with the unidentified man while serving an arrest warrant, said Salem Police Lt. Dave Okada during a press conference. No one else was injured and the police dog is expected to survive.
The suspected shooter barricaded himself inside the bus/motorhome after the shooting, Okada said.
(UPDATE 1:05 p.m.) Now the suspect has reportedly threatened "to blow up the bus if they don't back off". According to scanner traffic, officials don't believe the suspect has the propane and natural gas necessary for an explosion.
According to the Statesman Journal, police described a suspect as a white male, bald, with a beard, and bright blue eyes. The suspect is apparently still barricaded inside a motor home and shots have been fired from the motor home.
Turner Road remains closed and WalMart's south parking lot was evacuated, and police are attempting to evacuate any other people who may be in the line of fire.
(UPDATE 1:54 p.m.) The Salem Police canine that was injured in today's incident is named Baco. Baco was treated at an animal hospital and has been released to go home. His handler is Officer Trevor Morrison who was involved in a deadly officer involved shooting in 2014, when Jacklynn Ford was shot and killed.
(UPDATE 2:35 p.m.) Police are giving the suspect "surrender instructions".
(UPDATE 3:40 p.m.) The situation on Turner Rd is still an active tactical situation. The suspect has fired more shots from inside of the vehicle, but there have been no further injuries.
(UPDATE 3:50 p.m.) More than a dozen gas canisters were fired into the bus. WalMart customers that have been holed up in the store are being shuttled to their friends/families. They will have to come back for their vehicles when the police scene has cleared.
(UPDATE 5:50 p.m.) Police used an armored vehicle to ram the bus/motorhome.
(UPDATE 6:15 p.m.) Police shot multiple times into a hole in the bus just after 6 p.m. The suspect, who was visibly wounded, slid out of the bus but was still alive. Officers surrounded him, tied his arms and legs with zip ties and took him into an armored vehicle. He was transported to Salem Hospital.
THE END