SALEM, Ore. (AP) - A seven-hour standoff with a gunman who had barricaded himself inside a converted bus near a Salem Wal-Mart after shooting at police ended Friday evening after tactical officers fatally wounded the man.
After several hours of negotiation, police used heavy equipment to ram the parked bus and punch holes in its walls so they could see where the man was. Police say he still refused to put down his handgun and tactical officers fired at him. The gunman tumbled out of the bus and was taken to a hospital.
The man died of his injuries, police said Friday night in a statement. They did not immediately identify him.
“We tried to negotiate with the suspect for several hours,” Salem police Lt. Dave Okada told reporters after the man was removed from the bus. “During that time he fired numerous shots out of the vehicle at our officers.”
The standoff began Friday morning with a report of a suspicious vehicle and the discovery there was a warrant for the arrest of the man inside.
Officers exchanged gunfire with the man. A police dog was wounded but not seriously hurt.
During the afternoon, police used tear gas, but the man refused to come out. As police tried to negotiate with the man, he fired shots from inside the bus.
Police then brought in two large pieces of equipment that were used to rip away parts of the side of the bus so officers could get a better view.
TV footage from the scene showed the man being placed on a stretcher and then in an ambulance.
Okada said of the gunman: “We made numerous attempts to try to talk to him, and we did have a dialogue going with him.”
Ultimately police had to move in because of his “erratic behavior, and the fact he was continuing to fire rounds,” Okada said.
Okada said the injured police dog, named Baco, was doing well and was released from an animal hospital.
The tactical officers involved in shooting the man were identified as Officer Joshua Edmiston, Officer Vincent Dawson and Officer Sean Bennett. Other Salem police officers were involved in the initial contact.
Officers directly involved in the shooting will be placed on administrative leave while Oregon State Police investigate the shooting, Salem police said.
The standoff occurred in southeast Salem between Interstate 5 and Salem Municipal Airport.
During the standoff police put the Wal-Mart store into lockdown, meaning customers couldn’t leave.
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