Suspect, victim identified in west Medford shooting
Sep. 30—A 22-year-old Medford man has been arrested on charges accusing him of shooting a man in west Medford earlier this month during a close-quarters argument.
Spencer James Bliss, 22, of the 600 block of Black Oak Drive, is in the Jackson County Jail on charges that include attempted murder and first-degree assault stemming from a Sept. 22 shooting in downtown Medford.
Bliss' alleged victim, Andrew Lewis Fuentez, 29, remained in a Portland area hospital in critical condition as of Friday morning, according to Medford police.
Police said they believe Bliss and Fuentez got into a verbal altercation, parted ways, then came into contact again about 9:55 p.m. in the area of East Ninth and Almond streets, where Bliss produced a handgun and fired.
Witnesses told police they'd seen Fuentez approaching a suspect in a vehicle matching Bliss' description leading up to the shooting. The suspect allegedly fled in a vehicle and fired additional rounds while driving from the area.
One of those rounds entered a nearby residence, but no one inside was injured.
Police arrested Bliss Thursday afternoon. A call to Medford police seeking details as to how detectives tracked down the suspect was not immediately returned Friday.
Bliss was scheduled to make his initial appearance Friday afternoon in Jackson County Circuit Court on felony charges of attempted second-degree murder and first-degree assault, unlawful use of a weapon and unlawful use of a weapon with a firearm, along with two misdemeanor counts of recklessly endangering another person, according to a document filed by the Jackson County District Attorney's Office.
One of the two weapon-use charges stems from the alleged Fuentez shooting, and the other accuses him of discharging a firearm "within city limits or a residential area ... or in the direction of a person, building structure or vehicle within the range of the weapon," according to the DA's office filing.
Oregon court records show Bliss faces unrelated felony charges of computer crime and identity theft in Yamhill County.
The computer crime charge in the grand jury's indictment accuses Bliss of using a computer to deceive for reasons including "by means of false or fraudulent pretenses, representation or promises, to wit: middle-of-the-night intruder-rape fantasy."
The grand jury's indictment dated Dec. 22 drew testimony from two named victims — a man and a woman — and a McMinnville police corporal.
Bliss is scheduled to stand trial in the computer crime case Oct. 25, Yamhill County Circuit Court records show.
Reach web editor Nick Morgan at 541-776-4471 or nmorgan@rosebudmedia.com. Follow him on Twitter @MTwebeditor.
