Posted on 01/24/2011 6:55:30 AM PST by Inspectorette
A Lincoln City police officer was shot during what appeared to be a routine traffic stop for speeding near the Pro Build store in the 6-thousand block of Highway 101 in Lincoln City. But as the officer walked up and engaged the driver, the driver pulled out a gun and fired at the officer several times wounding him seriously. The driver took off.
Officers re-spotted the green utility vehicle headed southbound on 101. As the SUV came close to Newport, Newport Police units pulled in behind him with full lighs and sirens. The driver didn’t pull over. Instead, he raced through downtown Newport at 60 to 70 mph. After crossing the bridge southbound and continuing south along 101 near the airport, shots rang out from the fleeing driver. Then again just north of Waldport. By then, Waldport area deputies had laid out road spikes to puncture the man’s tires. And they did the job. The gunman pulled off the road just north of the bridge, jumped out and headed for the Bayshore area.
About 20 minutes into the manhunt heavy caliber weapons fire was heard, three maybe four shots coming from the area of the hotel. A crab pot fisherman called 9-1-1 with his cell phone saying that somebody had jumped out from behind a jetty and shot him and then took off. Officers say the victim got his boat ashore and was met by officers who got him to an awaiting ambulance. But the victim refused medical aid. Reports say his wound was not serious. More of a minor flesh wound.
SWAT Team is this morning on scene waiting to “go in.” A security perimeter has been established in the area they think the man may be hiding. There are many vacation home rentals in the area, any number of which would be an easy hide-out for a fugitive.
Residents of Waldport are advised to keep their doors and windows locked and to report any suspicous sounds or sightings immediately to 9-1-1. Officers have reason to believe the gunman or gunmen are still on the north shore of Alsea Bay near the Bayshore Hotel.
Meanwhile, the shot Lincoln City Police Officer is reported to be out of surgery at a Portland hospital and is said to be in critical condition. His name has not yet been released.
Mr. Inspectorette and I got pulled over last week by an Oregon State Patrol officer (Mr. I has a bit of a lead foot). I sincerely thanked the young officer for what they do for us.
Just saw now on the news that two U.S. marshalls have been shot in Florida.
It’s too early to tell for sure, but I’ll bet the shooter was one of those convicted criminals let out early by a ‘misguided’ Liberal government agency.
It doesn’t help that there are individuals, in fact, whole organizations. Private and publicly funded, who exist only to get people like this would-be murderer released into society, so they can roam freely, and unknown, among us, killing and maiming at will.
DAMN LIBERALS!
The beginning of this week has me upset. Prayers Up for all of our officers watching out for us.
I wonder how some people be so cruel to our officers only seeking to protect? I am certain the Oregon State Patrol Officer appreciated your kindness. In fact I have no doubt.
I’ve been to that area.
The local residents as a generalization are into fishing and hunting. I would expect that many are armed.
I’m surprised that they didn’t set the spike strips on the Walport Bridge as that is a really high brigde and his choices of escape would be a suicide jump or surrender. Oh, well.
Police officer is out of surgery, still critical. Townspeople are very shaken - he's local, a family man, was Officer of the Year in 2009 and 2010.
What I tried to say was that had the police set up the spike strips on the bridge, he would have likely been trapped on the Bridge with no where to go but a suicide jump or surrender.
Lincoln County, Oregon... My Home, Sweet Home... Not so quiet... remember Christian Longo? Kelly Disney & 13 other unsolved cases have recently been re-opened here by the new District Attorney. Thank F-”n’ Odin...about GD time, replacing the corrupt Bernice Barnett, man hating biotch...she ran a man down walking on Hwy 101 just North of Waldport after “Happy Hour”, and walked on it...
You’re exactly right. Wide bridge, well-lighted. Only reason I can think is at that time, shortly after the shooting, they had limited manpower and thought they could catch him in or emerging from his truck. In fact, it’s somewhat inexcusable they did not.
Easily they could have shot him. So this seems to me that, at that early stage, when there seemed to still be a question of 100% identification, they did NOT want to kill him, only capture. On the bridge, he would be running hither and yon and they would have to shoot him. With the car stop, they might have planned to just grab him...but he slipped thru their grasp and now we are living in fear.
I know all the law enforcement people are working hard, but I question if they are working smart. With many vacant homes here, and also places to hide like sheds, boats, etc, they should have started the door-to-door searched at sun-up, not late in the afternoon.
There are 100 cops, SWAT Team, National Guard, in a very small area that is bordered on one side by the ocean and another by a bay. Not many escape routes unless the guy is one hell of a swimmer. Astonishing they have not caught him. Some folks here are asking why no choppers or bloodhounds?
Yes, this is Oregon and the attitude on the coast, especially Bayshore, is like the wild west. Independent types. I would guess more people have guns than do not. Would be amazing if a civilian got the guy.
Another interesting point: he lives on Sauvie Island, which was the site of some huge searches last summer for 7-year old Kryon Horman of Portland, who went missing in June. Not saying there's a connection, but stranger things HAVE happened.
Meanwhile, Officer Dodds remains in critical condition. At least he's made it through the first 24 hours. All of Lincoln City is praying for his recovery, while the residents of Waldport are living in fear until the perp is found.
I never thought of that, suicide. If he really feels trapped, and apparently in an unstable mental condition, that’s a possibility.
I am beginning to doubt he’s here at all. Two nights have gone by. There are sections here with no streetlights, it’s very dark, there are winding streets and various dirt paths on the hillside to the highway, and to the beach. He could have found a way out by now and be miles away. The bad news there is probably then they would never find him.
Birdsbane, you live somewhere around here. What’s the word where you are now that we’re into almost day 5? Speculation abounds in Bayshore (the target area), with many people starting to think the gunman escaped the very first night, running down the hillside (near the KOA) and under the bridge to the east, into woods.
Yet all the police and SWAT focus is still on this little area with less that a 2-mile radius. They refuse to search locked unoccupied homes (due to fear of lawsuits from property owners I’m told) and yet that is the very place the police keep saying he is probably hiding.
Today the SWATs drove around with loudspeaker saying, “Surrender, come out peacefully and you will not be harmed.”
I know this isn’t the movies and the police must have a strategy, but seems to me the time has come for busting down some doors.
If they need permission from the property owners, our association here has everyone’s phone numbers, they can call and get it in a few hours, and should have done so early on in case they need to go in.
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