Fatal Hermiston OR police shooting ruled justified

January 10, 2013 @ 6:47 pm

HERMISTON, Ore. (AP) - A Umatilla County, Ore., grand jury has ruled that Hermiston police officers were justified in fatally shooting a bank robbery suspect they had followed into a liquor store.

County District Attorney Dan Primus has said that 55-year-old Gregory Shafer of the Hermiston area pointed what appeared to be a semiautomatic handgun at two officers on New Year's Eve.

KNDU-TV reports Shafer actually had a realistic looking BB gun. Still, the grand jury found that deadly force was justified.

Witnesses reported seeing a robbery suspect leave the Community Bank, cross a highway, walk through a parking lot and enter the liquor store.

KNDU reports that officers tried to use a less lethal weapon to disarm Shafer, but it didn't work. Officers then fired a total of five shots, with three hitting Shafer.


(Copyright 2013 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.)
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