OSP: Central Point officer shoots armed driver after pursuit

(Updated with later OSP statement)

A Central Point police officer shot and seriously wounded a driver who got out of a vehicle after a pursuit early Sunday and moved toward him with a gun, Oregon State Police reported.

Around 3 a.m., the officer attempted a traffic stop on a vehicle for unspecified traffic violations in the area of East Pine Street and the Interstate 5 overpass, troopers said. The vehicle eluded the officer and eventually came to a stop in Don Jones Park off Hamrick Road.

The driver of the eluding vehicle got out and “approached the officer while holding a firearm,” troopers said in an updated news release Sunday afternoon. “This resulted in the officer firing his duty weapon at the suspect.”

The driver was taken to an area hospital for treatment of “potentially life-threatening injuries,” troopers said, adding that the officer was unhurt.

As is standard protocol, the Jackson County Major Assault and Death Investigation Unit (MADIU) was activated and OSP is leading the investigation in conjunction with the Jackson County District Attorney’s Office.

MADIU is comprised of investigators from OSP, the Medford Police Department, Jackson County Sheriff’s Office, Central Point Police Department, Ashland Police Department and the Jackson County District Attorney’s Office.

Investigators were assisted on scene by Mercy Flights, Fire District #3 and the Oregon State Police Crime Lab.

No further information is available for release at this time, troopers said.