Coos Bay man with rifle shot, killed by officers

A Coos Bay man armed with a rifle was shot and killed by police Saturday morning after pointing the gun at one of three officers outside his home, authorities said.

The World newspaper in Coos Bay reported that Coos County District Attorney Paul Frasier said police had tried two previous times to arrest Eric Sweet on a felony charge of attempting to elude police. In both cases, the chases were halted for safety reasons.

Around 6:45 a.m., officers arrived at Sweet’s home to find his car parked several feet from the curb and the driver’s door open, Frasier said. Sweet later came out with a rifle and when ordered by police to drop the gun, he pointed it at one of the officers, resulting in all three officers opening fire.

The three officers were with Coos Bay police, the Confederated Tribal Police and an Oregon State Police troopers. Sweet was pronounced dead at the scene.

All three officers were placed on paid administrative leave pending the outcome of the investigation by the Douglas County Major Crimes Team, assisted by Eugene police.