The Oregon Department of Justice has ruled that an officer was justified in shooting and killing a man following a traffic stop north of Klamath Falls in October.
The shooting happened October 5th on Highway 97 near Modoc Point.
Police say Phillip Moskios, Jr. assaulted a state trooper and fled the scene after a narcotics dog alerted that there were likely drugs in the car.
“There was a car, a traffic stop that occurred of a Mr. Moskios. There was an altercation, and a pursuit.” Notes Klamath County District Attorney Eve Costello. “And in the end, he was deceased.”
The D.A. can’t say if it was a Klamath Falls officer, or a D.E.A. agent who fired the fatal shot.
Costello referred the case to the Oregon Department of Justice. “They made the determination that there was not an unreasonable use of force, and that criminal prosecution would not be sought – and they do not intend to even take it through a grand jury.”
The names of the officers involved have not been released.
The Department of Justice says their investigation included interviews with Moskios’ family, friends, and co-workers; the officers involved, and reviews of videos of the incident.
KOTI-TV NBC2 reporter Lyle Ahrens moved from Nebraska to Klamath Falls in the late 1970’s. He instantly fell in love with the mountains, the trees and the rivers, and never once regretted the move.Lyle’s job history is quite colorful.
He’s managed a pizza parlor; he’s been a bartender, and a “kiwifruit grader” at an organic orchard in New Zealand. A Klamath Falls radio station hired Lyle in the mid 90’s as a news writer and commercial producer. In 2004, Lyle joined the KOTI/KOBI news operation.Lyle notes with pride that he has a big responsibility presenting the Klamath Basin to a wide and varied audience.
“The on-going water crisis has underscored the fact that the people and the issues in the Klamath Basin are every bit as diverse as the terrain. Winning and keeping the trust of the viewers, as well as the newsmakers, is something I strive for with each story”.
When he’s not busy reporting the news, Lyle enjoys astronomy, playing guitar, fixing old radios and listening to anything by Sheryl Crow.
