UPDATE: Sisters restaurant worker shot in workplace dispute; suspect caught after chase
(Update: Details of shooting, suspect's arrest)
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 Saber 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 Saber 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 being held without bail at the Deschutes County Jail on 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.
