A Friday morning call about a man allegedly trying to break into a vehicle escalated into gunfire along a busy Grants Pass street, leaving the suspect hospitalized with multiple gunshot wounds, three city police officers involved in a use-of-deadly-force investigation and a section of Midland Avenue sealed behind police tape for much of the day.
What began shortly after 7 a.m. on NE Sixth Street moved within minutes toward Midland Avenue and NE Seventh Street, where Grants Pass Police say the fleeing suspect pointed a firearm at responding officers. Three officers opened fire.
By Friday afternoon, the wounded man remained hospitalized at Rogue Regional Medical Center, investigators from outside the Grants Pass Police Department had assumed control of the case, and several significant questions surrounding the shooting remained unanswered.
The incident began at approximately 7:09 a.m. August 7 when Grants Pass Police officers were dispatched to the 1600 block of NE Sixth Street after receiving a report of a man attempting to break into a vehicle.
According to the preliminary account released by Grants Pass Police, the encounter became violent when the suspect displayed a firearm and struck the victim in the head with the body of the gun. The man then fled on foot, running south on NE Seventh Street.
Patrol officers were already heading toward the original call when they spotted a man matching the suspect’s description on Midland Avenue, just west of NE Seventh Street.
It was there that the situation escalated from an armed-assault investigation into an officer-involved shooting.
Police say the man pointed a firearm at the approaching officers. The department reported that the officers were traveling in clearly marked Grants Pass Police vehicles and wearing standard police uniforms when the confrontation occurred.
Three officers discharged their duty firearms, striking the suspect multiple times. Grants Pass Police said the officers perceived an imminent threat of death or serious physical injury and were also attempting to prevent the armed suspect from potentially harming others after the assault reported moments earlier.
Those circumstances now form part of an independent investigation and represent the police department’s preliminary account of events. Oregon State Police investigators will be responsible for examining the evidence and determining the sequence of events surrounding the officers’ use of deadly force.
After the shooting, the officers who fired their weapons immediately began providing emergency medical care to the wounded man, according to GPPD. American Medical Response and Grants Pass Fire/Rescue subsequently arrived and took over his treatment.
The suspect was transported to Rogue Regional Medical Center. Police said he remained under medical care when the department issued its initial statement. His identity had not yet been confirmed or publicly released.
None of the Grants Pass Police officers involved was physically injured. Authorities also reported that no additional injured people were discovered while officers and deputies secured the surrounding area.
The shooting transformed Midland Avenue near Sixth and Seventh streets into a large investigative scene Friday morning. Police vehicles filled the area, crime-scene tape blocked access and the department publicly advised motorists and pedestrians to stay away. Midland Avenue between Sixth and Seventh streets was expected to remain closed for much of the day while investigators documented the scene and collected evidence.
The closure also affected access to nearby businesses along the heavily traveled corridor.
Grants Pass Police Major Crimes Unit detectives and Josephine County Sheriff’s Office patrol deputies initially responded to secure the area, determine whether anyone else had been injured and protect potential evidence until independent investigators could arrive.
With three Grants Pass officers having discharged their weapons, the investigation has now moved outside the city police department.
Oregon State Police has been assigned responsibility for investigating the shooting, with assistance from the Josephine County District Attorney’s Office, Josephine County Sheriff’s Office detectives and the Oregon State Police Forensic Services Division.
That investigation will be responsible for establishing what occurred during the critical moments on Midland Avenue, including the actions of the suspect and the officers who fired their weapons. The initial GPPD release did not identify the three officers, disclose how many rounds were fired or provide additional details about the firearm reportedly pointed at police.
The Grants Pass Tribune contacted Police Chief Warren Hensman Friday afternoon seeking additional information about the incident. Hensman said the department had already issued its account and that further information would now come from the agencies conducting the independent investigation.
“Any and all additional information regarding the case will have to go through the Oregon State Police and, or the DA,” Hensman told the Tribune.
That transfer leaves several pieces of information still awaiting confirmation, including the identity and current condition of the hospitalized suspect and additional details about the encounter immediately before officers opened fire.
The initial reported victim of the alleged vehicle break-in and armed assault was not identified by police. GPPD also did not provide information about the extent of that person’s injuries beyond reporting that the individual had been struck in the head with the firearm.
No final determination has been made regarding the officers’ actions. The account released Friday by Grants Pass Police represents the department’s preliminary description of the shooting, while the independent investigation is intended to examine the physical evidence, witness information and other available material before conclusions are reached.
For Grants Pass residents, the first public indication of the seriousness of the incident came as police closed Midland Avenue and warned people to avoid the area. Behind that closure was an encounter that had developed rapidly from a reported attempted vehicle break-in into an armed assault, a foot pursuit and, ultimately, gunfire involving three police officers.
By Friday afternoon, the immediate confrontation was over, the officers were uninjured and the suspect was receiving medical treatment. The larger investigation, however, had only begun.
Further information about the shooting will now be released through Oregon State Police and the Josephine County District Attorney’s Office as investigators determine what additional details can be made public.