Gunman dies after shootout with police in RV park

By KATU.com Staff Published: Feb 25, 2013 at 4:16 PM PDT Last Updated: Apr 26, 2013 at 1:47 PM PDT

SILVERTON, Ore. – The gunman who was shot by law enforcement during a shootout in a Silverton RV park Monday afternoon has died of his wounds, the Marion County Sheriff's Office said Monday night.

Police say the gunman, who has not yet been identified pending family notifications, wounded one person after he opened fire at the Silver Spur RV Park, located at 12622 Silverton Rd NE, just before 2 p.m.

Marion County Sheriff Jason Myers said the man was armed with a rifle and a handgun. Callers to 911 said the man entered the RV park and began randomly shooting at people and RVs.

Suspect former resident

Terry Glenn, the owner of the RV park, said the suspect was a former resident of the park who had described having delusions that people were trying to harm him.

Tenants began feeling uncomfortable with the man in the park and sought help from the Marion County Sheriff's Office, Glenn said.

On Feb. 19, the park learned that the man possessed a firearm and a concealed weapons permit, and then the next day, Glenn said the man threatened to kill people. The man was asked to leave, which he did voluntarily.

The RV park let the sheriff's office know about the weapon, the permit and the threats and asked that the man be evaluated and that his weapons be removed.

Glenn said the man who was wounded by the suspect is a manager at the park.

Authorities describe the exchange of gunfire with the suspect

In a Monday night press release, the sheriff's office described a tense scene when responding deputies arrived and spotted the suspect behind a picnic table on a small hill southwest of the park.

They said the shooter opened fire with his rifle when he saw the deputies. One deputy returned fire.

A few minutes later, troopers from the Oregon State Police arrived and were fired at by the shooter as well, the sheriff's office said. Those troopers also returned fire.

At some point during the exchange of gunfire, the suspect was hit by at least one round fired from police, the sheriff's office said.

The suspect was taken by helicopter to Legacy Emanuel Medical Center in Portland where he later died, according to the sheriff's office.

Medics took the wounded manager to a hospital where he was listed in stable condition. He is expected to recover, Glenn said.

His name has not been released.

'He was on a mission'

For Rick Norwood, who lives at the RV park, the sound of gunfire, was the first signal that it was time for he and his wife to run. The second signal was seeing the gunman up close.

"He was on a mission. I think he was here to do as much damage as he could," Norwood said. "He came out of another place, I heard him shoot a few more rounds – he came out of there, jumped in his car, went around the corner and pulled up on the bank by the pond and took out his rifle and his pistol and started reloading them again. (Then he) flipped over the picnic table and barricaded himself behind the picnic table."

Norwood said the manager, who works in the office, was hit in the arm.

Originally, it was reported a woman was also injured during the shooting but police later said after interviewing her they found she was not injured but did see what happened.

No deputies or officers were hurt in the shooting, Myers said. The names of the law enforcement personnel involved in the shooting have not yet been released. They were put on paid administrative leave, which is standard procedure in officer-involved shootings.

Authorities closed Silverton Road NE during their investigation.

Police have not yet released what type of firearms the suspect used.