2 dead after argument ends with shooting, police chase, crash
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SALEM, Oregon (KPTV) — Two people are dead after a reported shooting followed by a police chase and crash in Salem early Sunday, according to the Salem Police Department.
At about 6:30 a.m., police responded to reports of shots fired at an apartment complex on Liberty Road South near Browning Avenue. Officers said they found a man dead at the scene with a gunshot wound.
Witnesses told police they heard an argument followed by gunshots. Then, a person drove away from the scene.
Darcy Rapoza lives nearby.
“It’s just really shocking. Not something we would normally expect in this part of town. We normally kind of think of south Salem as being a pretty safe area to live,” Darcy Rapoza said. “I’m just devastated for the families.”
A responding officer found the suspect car and began to chase. The suspect drove south on Commercial Street Southeast, then crashed through the property of two businesses in the 4700 block of Commercial Street.
Police said they found the suspect dead in the crashed car with what they called an “apparent” self-inflicted gunshot wound.
“When I saw, I came, I thought the car was completely on the side of the building, but it just clipped,” said a person who works nearby. “You think you would see something on a rainy day where the road is wet and everything, not in a sunny day or anything like that. So, me seeing this here is like wow, that’s crazy.”
Commercial Street was closed between Boone Road and Hilfiker Lane Southeast for about four hours on Sunday and both scenes are being investigated by police.
People who live nearby said it’s surprising to hear about the police investigation in their area.
“You just hear about stories more and more often of incidents like this it just happens more often,” said Matt Rapoza. “That just doesn’t happen on this side of town.”
No other details about the investigation have been released at this time.
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