Bend museum to reopen Thursday in wake of fatal shooting by trooper

Bend’s High Desert Museum said it plans to reopen Thursday, two days after an Oregon State Police trooper shot and killed a man armed with a knife who was holding a woman by the throat and threatening to kill her.

Deschutes County District Attorney John Hummel plans to release more details from the investigation at a 3 p.m. Wednesday news conference that we will air live on KTVZ and online at our livestream, http://www.ktvz.com/live.

.The woman received non-life-threatening injuries, police said Tuesday evening, but no one else was hurt.

High Desert Museum Executive Director Dana Whitelaw posted the following statement Wednesday to the museum’s Facebook page:

“The Museum is closed to the public today but is expected to reopen tomorrow, Thursday, June 2 at 9 am.

“We are thankful for the scores of emergency responders who came to our aid as an assault unfolded at the Museum yesterday and for the outpouring of community support that we’ve received.

“Our thoughts are with the Oregon State Trooper who responded to the crisis, to our staff, volunteers and guests who were here yesterday and to the family of the deceased assailant. We sincerely believe that through the heroic actions of our staff and law enforcement – from the first 9-1-1 calls to the quick actions of police and emergency responders — the situation was isolated and no others were seriously injured.”

Here’s the scenario as outlined Tuesday night by Bend police, who are leading the investigation:

“The Deschutes County Sheriff’s Office, the Oregon State Police and the Bend Police Department responded to the High Desert Museum on May 31 at 3:25 p.m. on the report of an assault in progress.

“Deschutes County 911 Dispatch received information there was an adult male holding a female by the throat threatening to kill her. Further information from 911 Dispatch indicated the male was armed with a knife.”

Oregon State Police Capt. Bill Fugate later told NewsChannel 21 the man had his arm around the woman’s throat, but he could not yet say whether the knife was at her throat.

“When this incident was occurring, there were several visitors and staff inside the museum. Staff from the High Desert Museum assisted the numerous visitors out of the area where the male and female were located.

“Within minutes of the initial 911 call being made, an Oregon State Police trooper arrived on scene and entered the museum. The trooper located the male inside the museum. During this encounter, the trooper fired his weapon, striking the male suspect.

“The male suspect died from his injuries at the scene. The female received non-life-threatening injuries and is cooperating with investigators. The Oregon State Police trooper was not injured during the incident. There is no known connection between the male and female.

“Per Deschutes County Senate Bill 111 officer-involved shooting protocols, a multi-agency crime team was activated with the Bend Police Department as the lead investigating agency assisting the Deschutes County District Attorney’s Office. The Tri-County Major Incident Team is made up of all law enforcement agencies in Crook, Deschutes and Jefferson counties.

“Bend Fire and Rescue, Deschutes County Behavioral Health and the Central and Eastern Oregon Chapter of the Red Cross responded to assist with the multiple witnesses at the museum.

“This is an ongoing investigation and there will be no further releases tonight,” the Bend police release concluded.

Deschutes County District Attorney John Hummel and Sheriff Shane Nelson later briefed reporters outside the museum as interviews and the investigation continued inside the closed museum.

“Once on scene, an officer-involved shooting took place,” Nelson said.. “At this time, a male subject was pronounced dead at the scene.”

“The suspect is deceased,” Hummel said. “No law enforcement members were injured.”

Hummel said police were interviewing witnesses inside the museum, which was fairly packed as the spring and summer tourist season ramps up.

“It happened inside and outside the museum. We’re still determining where some acts occurred, but it was a fluid scene,” Hummel said.

“We are assessing whether children need to be interviewed,” he said, but added that so far, there was no indication any of the children at the museum witnessed what took place.

“The public is safe. There is only one suspect involved in this incident, and that subject is deceased,” Hummel said. “We extend our sympathies to his family.”

Some possible witnesses left before police could talk to them. Hummel said. He asked that anyone who was there — even if they don’t believe they saw anything of note — to contact police at 541-322-6362.

“The High Desert Museum is closed,” he said, adding that “the public is at no further danger.” Hummel later said the museum was closed “indefinitely” and an announcement would be made on when it would reopen.

“The suspect did have a weapon — that’s why the situation was so urgent,” the DA added, adding they were not ready to divulge details.

The incident happened “inside and outside the museum,” he said. “It was a fluid scene that was moving throughout the museum. We have lots of evidence to examine. They (the crime team) will be down there until they are done.”

Initial, unconfirmed police scanner reports indicated the incident began as an apparent dispute between a man and a woman, possibly at or near the Raptors of the High Desert outdoor exhibit, in which trained birds of prey swoop over the audience.

According to the unconfirmed police scanner reports, a possibly suicidal man was dragging a woman across the museum floor, threatening to kill her. A report of shots fired was broadcast on police radios shortly after OrSP arrived on the scene.

Police and medics rushed to the scene and established a command post and a triage area for other museum visitors, blocking the entrance marking off the area with crime scene tape.

A school field trip was underway — common at the museum on school days — and a school bus full of students was one of the vehicles that left as police interviewed those who were in the museum at the time of the shooting.

Disaster volunteers from the American Red Cross Cascades Region responded to the museum around 5:30 p.m. to provide food for 75 first responders and others on the scene, the agency said.

Summer is a busy season for the 34-year-old museum and its variety of exhibits along Highway 97 just south of town that explores the history and wildlife of the High Desert region. At least one school group reportedly was at the museum, a frequent occurrence.