Madras shooting suspect surrenders to deputies

(Update: Suspect shows up at sheriff’s office lobby, surrenders)

A 29-year-old Madras man wanted in the shooting of another man early Monday at Tops Trailer Park in Madras which prompted a public warning about the “armed and dangerous” suspect walked into the Jefferson County Sheriff’s Office lobby Tuesday evening and surrendered without incident to deputies.

Undersheriff Marc Heckathorn said Alejandro Pineda-Reynoso surrendered around 7 p.m. and was arrested on a felony warrant issued Monday for attempted murder, first-degree assault and unlawful use of a weapon. Initial bail was set at $1 million, he said, with more charges likely.

Heckathorn told NewsChannel 21 that Pineda-Reynoso’s surrender at the sheriff’s office “was not pre-planned or arranged.”

The undersheriff also offered a few more details in the ongoing investigation, saying the suspect and his victim knew each other but did not live together. He said they still were not releasing the victim’s name and did not have more information to share on his condition, only that the man, who was shot several times, remains in the Bend hospital being treated for his wounds.

“Detectives from across Central Oregon have been processing the scene for evidence and have been talking to witnesses, friends, family members, and associates of Alejandro,” Heckathorn said in Tuesday night’s announcement.

He said Sheriff Jim Adkins “wishes to express his appreciation to the community for the outpouring of tips and information that has been provided to detectives. The last 24 hours has been very unsettling for many members of our community, and we are glad to have our suspect in custody.”

Heckathorn said Monday the Central Oregon Emergency Response Team (CERT) had helped sheriff’s deputies execute a search warrant in the trailer park, and Pineda-Reynoso was not there. Heckathorn said police were still processing the home for evidence.

The sheriff’s office had asked the community to help find Pineda Reynoso but warned not to contact him and said “Alejandro is considered armed and dangerous.”

Heckathorn said deputies and Madras police were dispatched around 2:30 a.m. to reports of shots being fired in the area of the trailer park at 23 NW Depot Road.

Officers found a man shot several times outside a trailer, Heckathorn said. Deputies used two tourniquets to control the man’s bleeding until Jefferson County EMS medics arrived and took over treatment, bringing him by ambulance to St. Charles Madras.

The man, whose name was not released, later was flown to St. Charles Bend, where Sheriff Jim Adkins said he was in critical condition later Monday.

Oregon State Police and Warm Springs Police units arrived to help secure a perimeter until they were relieved by CERT, the region’s SWAT team.

“Both the suspect and the victim know each other,” Heckathorn wrote in a news release sent out about 6:30 a.m. Monday “The suspect is at large and is believed to be armed with a handgun. Please avoid the area, as the scene is still active.”

Detectives from the Tri-County Major Incident Team were assisting in the investigation, along with the Jefferson County District Attorney’s Office.

Heckathorn later confirmed to NewsChannel 21 that the victim was shot outside a trailer and the gunman apparently then went to the trailer next door.

The victim speaks little English, Heckathorn said, and gave a nickname for the suspect, rather than a full name, so authorities delayed releasing his identity.

Online court records show Pineda-Reynoso was living in Bend in 2012 when he was arrested on a half-dozen charges, including second- and third-degree assault and interfering with a law enforcement animal.

He entered Alford (conditional guilty) pleas and received a 20-month prison sentence that fall.

Pineda-Reynoso also pleaded guilty in Deschutes County in 2010 to one count of methamphetamine delivery and received a 13-month prison term, with two years post-prison supervision, the court records show.

Heckathorn said Pineda-Reynoso was arrested July 31 in Jefferson County on charges of first-degree forgery, second-degree criminal trespass, third-degree theft and meth possession