UPDATE: Sisters restaurant shooting suspect charged with attempted murder, assault; bail set at $500K
(Update: Charges filed in shooting, suspect arraigned)
BEND, Ore. (KTVZ) -- A Deschutes County judge set bail at $500,000 Wednesday for a Redmond man facing attempted murder, assault and other charges, accused of using a Sabre self-defense pistol to shoot a former co-worker in the face at Spoon Restaurant in downtown Sisters.
Seven charges filed Wednesday against Kristopher Michael Kirkpatrick include second-degree attempted murder, first-degree attempted assault, second-degree assault, unlawful use of a weapon, unauthorized use of a vehicle, fleeing or attempting to elude police and menacing.
Circuit Judge Michelle McIver agreed to the state's recommendation of the $500,000 bail amount for Kirkpatrick, as well as conditions that include no contact with the shooting victim, a woman whose pickup he allegedly stole or with the restaurant.
The court filing says Kirkpatrick shot a man in the face with a "Sabre self-defense projectile launcher," in what authorities say was a workplace dispute.
Other conditions if Kirkpatrick is released include not possessing any firearms, ammunition or any other weapon, including less-lethal devices such as BB guns.
Kirkpatrick is due back in court next Tuesday for arraignment on an expected formal indictment.
SISTERS, Ore. (KTVZ) -- A workplace dispute sparked a shooting at Spoons Restaurant in Sisters Tuesday morning that injured the suspect's former co-worker. That led to a police chase and the man’s arrest along Highway 20 between Sisters and Bend, Deschutes County sheriff's deputies said.
At 8:19 a.m., deputies were dispatched to reports of a shooting at Spoons Restaurant, located on East Hood Avenue. The sheriff’s office says the incident was the result of a workplace dispute where the victim and suspect knew each other.
Detectives say the suspect, Kristopher Kirkpatrick, 31, entered the restaurant posing as a customer before confronting the victim — a former colleague — and shooting him at point-blank range in the face with a Sabre pistol, capable of firing pepper balls and rubber bullets. They say he then chased the victim through the restaurant, firing several times.
Kirkpatrick then fled the restaurant and took off in a truck on Highway 20 toward Bend. Deputies initiated a pursuit and successfully executed a Pursuit Immobilization Technique (PIT) maneuver near Plainview Road, located between Sisters and Bend.
Kirkpatrick was arrested and taken into custody without further incident, DCSO Public Information Officer Jason Carr said.
The victim sustained non-life-threatening injuries, including cuts, bruising and swelling to his face, and additional bruising and swelling on several parts of his body from the impact of the projectiles. He was taken to St. Charles-Bend for further evaluation.
Although the ammunition used was not traditional bullets, Carr said that "the Sabre pistol is capable of inflicting serious injury, especially when targeting areas of the body like the face or at close distance. Detectives say the suspect made it clear through his actions that he intended to cause harm and kill the victim."
"Thankfully, nobody else was hurt in the shooting, and detectives believe only the victim was the intended target," Carr wrote, adding that the investigation is ongoing.
Kirk was held without bail at the Deschutes County Jail on initial charges of first- and second-degree assault, unlawful use of a weapon, vehicle theft, attempt to elude police and first-degree menacing pending arraignment Thursday afternoon.
