Medford, Ore. — Medford police are continuing to investigate a deadly shooting.
It happened in east Medford over the weekend.
While police were looking into the case on Monday, he suspect was in court.
“It was crazy. I mean to find out that your neighbor gets shot. I mean it’s kind of scary,” a neighbor, who doesn’t want to be identified, said.
In the early hours of Saturday morning, before the sun even came up, residents in an east Medford neighborhood were told of a shooting in their apartment complex.
“We didn’t even know anything was going on until all the EMT’s and stuff showed up in the driveway there.”
39-year-old Thomas Peterson was found by Medford Police with a gunshot to the head.
He later died in the hospital.
“I wasn’t expecting anything like that to happen in Medford at all. Until lately, it just seems to be going hog-wild.”
One neighbor who doesn’t want to be identified lives two doors down from where the shooting happened.
She says she expects shootings in big cities, but she never thought something like this would happen in Medford.
She says she’s only noticed police on the property before for issues with drugs.
But Lieutenant Justin Ivens with Medford Police says evidence of drugs in the apartment could have been a factor.
“A lot people think that these cases — once the arrest is made, that’s the end of it. That’s not the case at all. There’s still gonna be a lot of leg work and a lot of hours invested into this investigation,” Lieutenant Justin Ivens said.
Detectives are continuing to investigate what events led up to the shooting.
And police say three potential witnesses to the crime still need to come forward.
“We need them to feel confident that they can reach out to us. We need to get a statement from them,” Lieutenant Justin Ivens said.
As for the neighbor, she says she feels sorry for all those involved, and hopes to witness less violence in the future.
“C’mon, Medford. Let’s not do this to each other. We’re all human.”
Lieutenant Justin Ivens with Medford Police says those three witnesses who left the home don’t need to be afraid to talk to police.
He says it’s an important step toward completing the investigation.
Meanwhile, Cody Templeton is being charged with murder.
He will appear in court for his preliminary hearing on February 5th.
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