DA: Bend man apparently shot, killed self during traffic stop

(Update: DA says Bend man apparently killed himself during traffic stop)

A Bend man apparently shot and killed himself after he was pulled over by Bend police for failure to use his turn signal on the city’s north end late Tuesday night, Deschutes County District Attorney John Hummel revealed Wednesday afternoon.

Here is the full statement on the traffic stop issued by Hummel:

On June 26, 2018 at 11:34 pm, Bend Police Officer Timothy Williams conducted a traffic stop in north Bend (at Highway 97 and Cooley Road) of a red Toyota 4-Runner driven by Timothy Bret Bontrager. The stop was initiated because Bontrager failed to use his turn signal. After Williams activated his overhead lights, Bontrager stopped in the driveway of Lowe’s Home Improvement.

Officer Williams has been a Bend Police Officer since 2015. Prior to working for the City of Bend, he was an Airman in the United States Air Force and served in the Security Forces unit, which is the Air Force’s military police.

Bontrager was a 36-year-old resident of Bend. Other than a misdemeanor marijuana arrest in Texas in 2000, he has no criminal record.

Joining Officer Williams at the scene of the stop was Bend Police Officer Kevin Uballez. Officer Uballez has been a Bend Police Officer since 2014. Prior to working for the City of Bend, he was employed for seven years as an officer with the Olathe, Kansas Police Department.

Officer Williams approached the driver’s side door of Bontrager’s truck and asked for his license and registration. Based on Officer Williams’ interactions with Bontrager, Williams suspected Bontrager was impaired from alcohol or drugs and thus expanded his investigation to include the potential crime of driving while under the influence of intoxicants. Officer Uballez stood on the passenger side of Bontrager’s truck during the investigation.

What happened next is part of an on-going investigation, so details will not be provided now, however, initial evidence suggests that while Bontrager was in his truck and being questioned by Williams, he took his life by suicide and he did so by shooting himself. Initial evidence also suggests that Williams fired into the truck.

The timing and sequencing of these events is under investigation and will be shared with the public at the conclusion of the investigation.

Bend Fire and Rescue was immediately dispatched, arrived quickly on scene, and declared Bontrager deceased moments after examining him. When they first contacted him they found a handgun in his hand. An autopsy will be conducted tomorrow morning at the offices of the Oregon State Medical Examiner in Clackamas.

The Tri-County Major Incident Team was deployed to investigate and the Deschutes County Sheriff’s Office is the lead agency. District Attorney Hummel was on scene last night and has been working closely with investigators.

Statement from District Attorney Hummel:

“Bret Bontrager’s family is hurting as they grieve the loss of someone they love. My thoughts are with them. My thoughts are also with Officers Williams and Uballez and their families as they process the traumatic event they all experienced. This remains an active investigation into an unusual and sad incident. I expect the investigation to be completed relatively soon, and at that time I’ll release to the public my legal conclusion and the factual basis for it.”

At the news conference, Hummel praised the dedication of the “exhausted” officers on the scene overnight and explained further about the indications of driver impairment.

“When the individual pulled over, the basis for the stop was failure to use a turn signal,” Hummel said. “Whether the officer also thought this could be a DUII, I don’t know that.”

“Then, after talking to the driver, he became more certain,” the DA said. “Whether he had some suspicion before, I don’t know. He had reasonable suspicion, if not probable cause at the time he interacted with the driver.”

Earlier info:

The Deschutes County Major Incident Team was activated, following the investigative protocols outlined in Senate Bill 111. The Deschutes County Sheriff’s Office will be the lead investigating agency, officers said.

It was the second officer-involved shooting in Deschutes County in less than a week.

Last Wednesday evening, Jesse Wade Powell, 44, of Springfield, was shot and killed by one of two Deschutes County sheriff’s deputies responding to a report of a disturbance and shots fired at a campsite in the Deschutes National Forest southwest of Bend.