A 17-year-old shot one person and injured another who wrestled his gun away on Tuesday, Sept. 6, according to Deschutes County Sheriff’s Office. DSCO is charging the suspect with attempted murder, two counts of second-degree assault, menacing, theft, unlawful entry into a vehicle and altering a firearm’s ID.
DCSO dispatched deputies to an area on NW Skyliners Road near Forest Service Road 4606 to respond to reports of a gunshot wound, finding a 17-year-old with a non-fatal gunshot wound. Bend Police Department and Oregon State Police also sent officers to the area to assist DCSO. During the investigation, deputies learned the shooting happened after a fight broke out at a party in the woods, where the suspect had a gun.
“During the fight the gun went off striking the 17-year-old male,” DCSO said in a press release.
Bend Fire transported the victim to St. Charles Medical Center, where DCSO detectives later contacted him. While there, an 18-year-old second victim arrived with minor injuries he sustained while wrestling the gun away from the suspect. He turned over the suspect’s gun to detectives, got his wounds treated and was released.
Det. Sgt. Troy Gotchy told KTVZ they currently estimate there were about 100 people at the party, but most had dispersed once deputies arrived. On Thursday, Sept. 8 deputies report locating and taking the suspect into custody without incident and executing a search warrant on his home in Bend. The suspect is lodged at the Deschutes County Juvenile Detention Center.
DCSO is still investigating the attack and is asking the public to send any videos of the incident to contact their office at 541-693-6911.
This article appears in Source Weekly September 15, 2022.
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Can anyone confirm where this party took place? Was it a forest party or a house party?
I saw a pass off of two rifle like firearms at Phils Trail past the gates in a parking lot with two young men from Arizona at approximately 8:30am who one swiftly entered Phils , did a pass off and then both exited Phils trail. I contacted the sheriffs department. They then returned to Phils trail and went back out to use the porta potty and fountains between Pacific Crest Middle School and William E Miller. The sheriff has my report. I had no prior knowledge of this party and I am curious as to where this took place and if these young men had any involvement. Phils trail is starting to look like Hunnel Road and we have three schools very close to Phils trail head where it was reported last week that this said party took place. Its very concerning. Our forest is not being used for its intended purposes and is now becoming dangerous with houseless people not following proper rules and etiquette in the forest. Law enforcement is unable to deal with it so it seems because of Martin VS Boise and the measure 110. This is extremely unfortunate that our law enforcement is not able to move people along that are damaging our forests and livability.
Nicole – These were local high school kids and young people at this party in the forest. Not homeless people. Bend High, Summit, and Mountain View kids. As is often the case with well-to-do young people who live in houses, drugs were involved. Your obsession with the fact that homeless people live on public land – as it has always been – is kind of weird. There’s no apparent connection between that issue and this story. Also – were you, like, following these people around? You seem to have a lot of eyewitness information.