Officer involved shooting in Central Point


Central Point, Ore., — “It was a little bit of a surprise.”

Mindy Wallace lives near Don Jones Memorial Park in Central Point.

She says nothing like this has ever happened while she’s lived there, the neighborhood surrounding the park has always felt safe – thanks to police.

“I know that they cruise our neighborhood all the time and have community services available, they’re very active with the community.”

But on early Sunday morning, a failed traffic stop lead one Central Point Police Officer to shoot a suspect at the park.

Oregon State Police say the suspect got out of the car, and walked towards the officer while holding a gun.

“It sounds like the officer acted appropriately, you know if the person pulled a gun then you know there’s self defense involved.”

While some might feel less safe after hearing that this happened so close to home – Wallace feels safer than ever.

“I know we have a fine police here department in Central Point and I feel very safe with them.”

And it doesn’t change the way she feels about the men and women in blue.

“I know there’s crime everywhere so you know, crime doesn’t respect boundaries. It can happen at any place, any time.”

The suspect was taken to the hospital with potentially life threatening injuries.

The police officer was not injured in the shooting.

The Jackson County Major Assault and Death Investigation Unit is leading the investigation tonight, along with the Jackson County District Attorney’s Office.

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