Deschutes DA IDs man shot by DCSO after car theft, pursuit

Says 28-year-old allegedly stole car at shelter, refused to stop

(Update: Adding January 2019 incident)

BEND, Ore. (KTVZ) -- Deschutes County District Attorney John Hummel on Monday identified a 28-year-old man shot and wounded by one or more sheriff's deputies Friday evening at Cascade Village Shopping Center following a car theft and pursuit.

Hummel said Adam L. Gilliam, who is homeless, remains at St. Charles Bend and is expected to survive his wounds. The DA said Gilliam is suspected of stealing a car at the Shepherd's House homeless shelter and refusing to stop for police, leading to a pursuit and use of a police maneuver to stop the car.

Here's Hummel's full statement on the shooting investigation:

On Friday, November 29, 2019, the Deschutes County Sheriff’s Office released a statement regarding a deputy-involved shooting that involved at least one of their deputies in the area of Robal Road and Hunnell Road, at the north end of Bend.  The shooting occurred at 6:08 p.m.  This statement provides further details and updates the public on the status of the investigation.

Shortly after the shooting, the Tri-County Major Incident Team was deployed to the scene and the Bend Police Department was assigned as the lead agency.  District Attorney John Hummel and Sheriff Shane Nelson responded to the scene shortly after the incident.  Also responding to the scene were members of the Oregon State Police Forensic Laboratory who processed the on-site evidence. 

The male who was shot is Adam L Gilliam, a 28-year-old resident who is currently houseless and was raised in John Day, Oregon.  Gilliam was transported to St. Charles Bend, where he remains admitted.  He is expected to survive.

District Attorney John Hummel is not yet releasing the name (or names) of the deputy or deputies who fired their weapon(s) because the investigation regarding the details of the actual firing of the weapon(s) is still active and releasing DA Hummel’s impressions of who fired might subtly influence eyewitnesses’ memories.  Hummel expects to release the name or names of the deputy or deputies who discharged their weapon(s) within a few days.

This incident started with a call to law enforcement from the Shepherd’s House on NE Division Street in Bend.  The caller reported that Mr. Gilliam had stolen a car belonging to the Shepherd’s House.  Deschutes County sheriff’s deputies spotted the car shortly after the call and attempted to stop it.  They initiated overhead lights and sirens, but Mr. Gilliam did not stop. The deputies continued to follow the car to NW Robal Road near the PetSmart store. 

As Mr. Gilliam approached the rear of the PetSmart store on NW Robal road, a pursuing deputy requested supervisor approval to conduct a pursuit intervention technique (PIT maneuver).  A PIT maneuver is a technique law enforcement officers are trained in and involves a pursuing car striking a fleeing car, forcing the fleeing car to turn sideways abruptly, causing the driver to lose control and stop.  Supervisor approval was provided for the PIT maneuver, the maneuver was initiated, and Mr. Gilliam’s car was stopped. 

Mr. Gilliam was shot after the PIT maneuver was successfully initiated.  The details of how he was shot, such as: whether he was in or out of the car; whether any officers were out of their cars; how many shots were fired; why the deputy or deputies who fired chose to fire; are all part of the on-going investigation and will not be released at this time.

Statement from District Attorney Hummel:

“Fortunately, Adam Gilliam is expected to survive, and we can all be thankful for that.  A law enforcement officer’s decision whether to discharge a weapon is the most serious and consequential decision they have to make.  When they decide to shoot, the public rightfully asks why, and whether the decision was appropriate and legal. My job is to answer these questions, and I will.  I expect this investigation to be completed relatively soon and at that time I’ll release to the public my legal conclusion and the factual basis for it.”

Last January, Gilliam was identified as a disoriented, named man who walked more than 10 miles in the woods from Lava Lands Visitor Center to Benham Falls and back in sub-freezing temperatures before he was found and taken to the hospital. Sheriff’s deputies said drugs were believed to be a factor in his behavior.

Court records show Gilliam pleaded guilty in 2012 to first-degree criminal mischief and was given two years probation and ordered to pay $2,610 restitution to a victim. He pleaded guilty in 2014 to methamphetamine possession and received a 10-day jail term and 18 months probation.

Earlier this fall, Giilliam was arrested in Douglas County on charges of driving with a suspended or revoked license and uninsured. He wrote a letter to the court with a motion to appear by phone on Oct. 28 “so as not to miss work and lose my job.”

Gilliam, still listing a John Day address, signed a conditional release agreement last Tuesday that was filed Friday in Douglas County Circuit Court, saying he agreed to appear in Roseburg for a Dec. 13 arraignment.

Earlier story:

A man was shot by a Deschutes County sheriff's deputy near an intersection in the area of the Cascade Village Shopping Center at Bend's north end Friday evening, deputies said. District Attorney John Hummel said the man is expected to survive his wounds.

The shooting occurred at 6:08 p.m. in the area of Robal and Hunnell Roads, Sgt. William Bailey confirmed. The man who was shot was taken to St. Charles Bend, but Bailey said his condition "is currently unknown."

The deputy was not injured in the encounter, Bailey added.

The Tri-County Major Incident Team was activated and called to the scene. The area was marked off with crime scene tape and a law enforcement drone was seen flying over the area.

"In accordance with our office's standard practice, one deputy at the scene will be placed on (paid) administrative leave pending the conclusion of the investigation," the sergeant said in a news release.

The intersection where the shooting occurred reopened just before 4:30 a.m. Saturday, Bailey said.

Bailey said any more information would come from the major incident team and the district attorney's office.

Hummel told NewsChannel 21 he went to the shooting scene and later to the incident command post at Bend police headquarters. He provided this statement to us:

"All involved law enforcement officials were uninjured and the person who was shot is expected to survive. Bend Police Department detectives are the lead agency for this major incident team investigation and are being assisted by the Oregon State Police Forensic Lab. My Chief Deputy, Steve Gunnels, and I are working with detectives on preparing an affidavit for a search warrant. The investigation is under control and I’ll update the public as more is known."

Many visitors to the area, including Black Friday shoppers, were unsure what was going on -- but when they learned more, they were surprised, even shocked.

"When we came up, we thought it was just a car accident," a woman said nearby. "So we didn't know what was going on. Pretty terrible. It's sad."

No shops were evacuated, and police said there was no threat to the public.

Robal Road was closed at Hunnell Road, west to Highway 20 as numerous officers and Bend Fire medics converged on an area west of PetSmart.

Initial, unconfirmed police scanner reports had come in around 6:10 p..m. of shots fired in the area and medics called at top-priority Code 3 after a law enforcement stop.

One person, reportedly involved in a slow-speed pursuit, was rushed to St. Charles Bend with multiple gunshot wounds, possibly three or four, according to those reports.