Salem officer cleared in shooting, suspect indicted

SALEM, Ore. (AP) - A grand jury has ruled that a Salem police officer was justified in shooting a man earlier this month.

The Statesman Journal reports (https://goo.gl/mRaaw7 ) the jury made the finding Tuesday in the incident involving 33-year-old Casey Howe.

Salem Cpl. Jacob Pratt responded to reports Jan. 13 of a possibly armed man and made contact with Howe outside an Applebee’s restaurant.

Police say Howe was armed with a knife and during a struggle, Pratt shot Howe. Howe remains hospitalized in stable condition.

The grand jury also indicted Howe in the incident on charges of attempted murder, attempted assault, unlawful possession of a weapon, unlawful possession of methamphetamine, illegal possession of a restricted weapon by a felon and menacing.

Pratt, who has served with the department for 10 years, was placed on standard administrative leave after the shooting.

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Information from: Statesman Journal, https://www.statesmanjournal.com