EAGLE POINT, Ore. — New developments tonight after last week’s deadly officer-involved shooting in Eagle Point.
Chief Darin May of the Eagle Point Police Department anticipates this all to be over in a couple weeks from today.
“It’s been a difficult thing for everybody,” said Chief May.
It’s the first officer involved shooting Chief Darin May has dealt with. He says he’s spoken with the two officers involved.
“They seem to be doing well,” he said. “I’ve reached out to them just to make sure they didn’t need anything that we could provide for them…”
He says the rest of the department has also been patient and supportive through this difficult period, but there’s still much left to do.
Chief May says they’re still waiting on Matthew Thayer Graves’s autopsy results. And the interview of the two officers, which was scheduled for Monday, has also been postponed.
“That was pushed off until Wednesday,” he said. “The attorney for the union was not available until Wednesday.”
The Jackson County Sheriff’s Office says 33-year-old Graves was not complying with police inside the Carl’s Junior in Eagle Point last Wednesday night.
After a struggle, police used a taser. And at some point, police shot Graves.
Investigators have not confirmed the number of times the officer fired, and they are still trying to determine exactly what happened moments before the shooting.
“It’s tough. It’s a tough position to be in and it’s a tragic thing anytime human life is lost,” he said. “It’s a tragic thing for the families and the families of the officers; it’s tragic for everyone.”
Chief May anticipates that the names of the two officers involved won’t be released until after grand jury proceedings, a process he hopes will be concluded in two to three weeks.
The two officers are on paid leave right now, which is standard for officer involved shootings.
If the District Attorney’s Office clears them of any wrongdoing, they will return to the department and counseling will be made available.
© 2024 KOBI-TV NBC5. All rights reserved unless otherwise stated.