MEDFORD, Ore.– Two shootings. Two deaths. Two injuries. Friday night was something of an anomaly in the Rogue Valley.
The two separate shootings came on a long night for law enforcement as they worked to handle the situations in both Jackson and Josephine County. Police say there is no further threat to the public.
In Central Point, a man and woman were found shot but alive near Live Oak Loop and Mistletoe Court around 7:30 p.m. The suspect had already fled the scene, according to Central Point police.
“It makes you wonder if there’s any place safe you can live,” said Jen, a resident in the neighborhood who declined to give her last name for safety concerns.
Another resident named Clair also declined to give her last name but said this type of thing in her neighborhood wasn’t even imaginable to her.
“It’s a very nice neighborhood. We have like kids going to school, people walking their dogs,” she said. “It’s a very picturesque neighborhood.”
Jen says she’s lived in Central Point most of her life. She never expected to see this level of violence in her neighborhood.
“You assume that this place is going to be very safe,” she said. “I have noticed an escalation in the valley of violent acts and it’s disturbing.”
Central Point police say they found their suspect late Friday evening. But according to police, the suspect was quote “beyond help from what appeared to be an apparent suicide.”
The victims and the shooter have yet to be identified in this case as police wait to reach next of kin. It’s unknown what the status is of both victims as of Saturday.
Earlier in the night though another shooting in Grants Pass occurred where the victim has been named and a suspect is in custody.
In an ally near SW Pine and H Street, Grants Pass police swarmed a home after reports of a shooting. There police found the body of 37-year-old Joshua Wilson Wright.
“It’s just… I’m shocked that it’s happening in our little town,” said Cherrish Schmoll, a nearby resident.
Schmoll, who was out walking her dog, says she didn’t hear anything until her son came home and said there was a bunch of commotion up the street.
“There’s cops down, there’s fire trucks,” she said. “They’re getting bulletproof vests on so I ran out there right away. Concerning.”
Schmoll says there are a few bad areas around the neighborhood. For the most part, things are quiet but this was something different.
“Yeah they were out here a long time, very long time investigating it and stuff,” she said. “Yeah, it’s a shocker for how close it is.”
Police located the suspect Saturday morning. Steve Daniel Cox, 68, was taken into custody and charged with second-degree murder. Police haven’t released a motive.
Both cities’ law enforcement are not releasing any more information at this time. Both cases are still open investigations.
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