Madras students witness shots fired; suspect car sought

Two shots were fired in a southwest Madras neighborhood Monday morning, apparently over drugs, and several students witnessed it, school officials said. That led to a hunt for a suspect car and a brief, precautionary lockdown of area schools, including the Central Oregon Community College campus, officials said.

Madras Assistant Police Chief Tanner Stanfill said officers, joined by Oregon State Police and Jefferson County sheriff’s deputies, were dispatched around 7:20 a.m. to a report of shots fired in the area of Southwest First and C Street in Madras.

“An initial investigation has determined the individuals involved are known to each other and the incident likely involves narcotics,” Stanfill said in a news release.

There were no reports of anyone injured, he said, adding that police were “actively investigating the shooting and the motive behind it.”

Stanfill told NewsChannel 21 two shots were fired in a neighborhood but declined to reveal further details as the investigation continues.

“We’re confident that we have the right individuals involved,” Stanfill said.

However, he added that since it apparently was drug-related, “The people involved, including the victim, are apprehensive to contact law enforcement, given the nature of the incident.”

“This is not a random event,” Stanfill said.

Seeking to dispel rumors, he said in the news release, “It was not a drive-by shooting and there is no immediate public safety threat.”

Stanfill said police were searching for a silver or gray passenger car, possibly a Mercedes, with tinted windows in connection with the shots fired. A second vehicle was found and is no longer of interest, he said.

In a letter sent home to parents, Jefferson County Schools Superintendent Rick Molitor said, “Several of our students witnessed a possible shooting on the west side of Madras early this morning. The incident was reported to law enforcement officials, and they are conducting an investigation.”

“As a precautionary measure to ensure the safety of our students and staff, all schools in Madras and Metolius went into a modified lockdown,” Molitor wrote. “During modified lockdown, all exterior doors are locked, and students are not allowed to go outside.”

“In working with law enforcement, it was determined that this incident was not related to any student or school, and there was not a threat towards the safety of any of our students or staff members,” the superintendent said. He later said the modified lockdown was from about 8:15 to 8:30 a.m.

Meanwhile, an emergency alert sent to all COCC students and staff by e-mail and cellphone around 9 a.m. said the campus was on lockdown “until further notice.”

“If you are on the Madras campus, remain where you are and, if possible, lock the door to your location and stay out of view,” the alert stated. “If you are off campus, DO NOT come to the Madras campus until further notice. Please do not call the campus so we can keep College phone lines free for emergency communication. This does not impact any other COCC Campus.”

The alert said more info would be posted at http://www.cocc.edu/emergency/ as available.

But just that amount of info proved worrisome to many, frightening to some: “I was freaking out,” one COCC student said.

Around 9:30 a.m. came a new COCC broadcast alert with word that the campus was “all clear and normal operations have resumed. The campus was closed due to an incident off campus but the Madras Police Department has said there is no threat at this time.”

The COCC campus is on the east side of Madras, some distance from the shooting incident, but college spokesman Ron Paradis said their initial reports indicated the incident was closer to the campus.

Stanfill said, “We did not call for any schools to be shut down. because it was not school-related.”