911 caller claims shots fired near Madras truck stop, prompting area alert, manhunt – but police find no sign it was true

MADRAS, Ore. (KTVZ) – A call to Jefferson County 911 dispatchers early Tuesday claiming a person was firing gunshots near a Madras truck stop prompted an emergency “shelter in place” alert to residents and a major manhunt in two locations, but law enforcement found nothing to indicate the report was true.

“There is an active law enforcement situation involving a subject with a weapon” near Love’s Travel Stop on Highway 97, the Frontier 911 alert sent shortly before 4 a.m. stated.

“For your safety, all residents within a ¼-mile radius of the area are instructed to shelter in place immediately,” the alert sent through the Everbridge system added.

Residents in the area were advised to “remain indoors and secure all doors and windows” and to avoid the truck stop, which Madras Police Chief Tim Plummer said was not evacuated.

“Do not attempt to approach or intervene in the situation,” the alert continued. “Use 911 only for emergencies. Report any suspicious activity to law enforcement immediately.”

But as it turned out, “It was a big nothing-burger,” Plummer later told KTVZ News, though he added that it was a claim they had to take seriously, for the public's safety.

Plummer said he could not provide more details, because the person of interest identified in the call and the subject of the search is a minor under age 18. That person still has not been located to be interviewed, Plummer said Tuesday afternoon.

But questions arose immediately, as the police chief said. For example, they wondered why, if it were true, “How come we’re not getting any other calls?”

“We had people down there talking to people, who said they didn’t hear anything,” Plummer said. “It could have been some semi-truck backing into a dumpster, for all we know.”

Police also get more information on a second place to look, a forested area near SE McTaggart and Grizzly roads southeast of town. They worked with Jefferson County sheriff’s deputies to conduct the searches and called in drones from Deschutes County agencies, but nothing was found in either location to confirm the initial report.

Online, rumors flew of shots fired or even of an active shooter situation, but Plummer said they didn't find anything to verify those claims.

No injuries were reported, he said, and they found “no threat to the community.”

Residents were advised in a follow-up alert that the “shelter in place” direction was lifted at 5:50 a.m., nearly two hours after it began. "Thank you for your cooperation," it added.

“We wasted a lot of time” before sending everyone home, Plummer said.