Man shot in gun fight with police at I-5 rest area Tuesday night

Mail Tribune, Medford, Ore.
·2 min read

Sep. 21—Police shot an armed man Tuesday evening at the northbound Manzanita Rest Area on Interstate 5 near Merlin. At one point during the altercation, an officer could be heard over the police radio saying officers were taking fire.

Several Oregon State Police troopers and Josephine County sheriff's deputies were placed on administrative leave after the shooting, according to a news release from the Grants Pass Police Department.

The shooting occurred after a 911 call that came in at about 4:45 p.m., reporting a woman had been shot at the rest area, police said.

"Upon arrival, troopers and deputies were confronted by the male suspect, which resulted in an officer-involved shooting," the release said. "The involved troopers and deputies have been placed on administrative leave per Senate Bill 111 protocols."

Police did not name the man who was shot or say whether a woman had been shot. The names of the officers involved were withheld, and police did not provide names of the suspected shooter or the woman reported to have been shot.

"This is an active investigation, and no further information will be released at this time," the press release said.

It was the second day in a row police shot someone in the Grants Pass area.

Grants Pass police issued a news release Tuesday saying officers had shot a man in a park at 8 p.m. Monday. The park was not named, and the man who was shot has not been identified.

Police said they went to the park after getting a call about "suspicious activity in progress."

"In response to the call, an officer-involved shooting occurred on (Southwest) Westholm Avenue in Grants Pass," the release said. "An adult male was shot by an officer during the incident. The involved officer has been placed on administrative leave per Senate Bill 111 protocols," the release said.

Senate Bill 111, passed by the Oregon Legislature in 2007, required the creation of local, comprehensive protocols to address the use of deadly physical force by law enforcement.