On July 22, 2010, members of the Oregon Fugitive Task Force located a fugitive at a residence on the Warm Springs Indian Reservation in Central Oregon. The fugitive had warrants in Madras, Oregon for nine counts of attempted murder based on two separate incidents where he shot at law enforcement officers from both the Warm Springs and Madras Police Departments. The fugitive was known to have made a vow with a fellow gang member to never be taken alive and to kill as many police as he could before he himself was killed. Task force members established a perimeter and initiated a “surround and call-out” while awaiting arrival of the Central Oregon SWAT team.
After several minutes, the fugitive fired one round using a high-powered rifle out a back window of the residence hitting a Warm Springs Police vehicle. The subject was well concealed in the house allowing him to shoot at the officers without being seen.
Deputy Byford was positioned with a rifle behind a tree about 40 yards from the front of the residence. Shortly after the subject fired the first round out of the back of the residence, he fired a second round out a front window hitting the tree near Deputy Byford's head. Deputy Byford was hit in the face with bark and wood chips as the .30 caliber round penetrated the tree.
Knowing his fellow team members were in a vulnerable position and only armed with handguns, Deputy Byford decided not to retreat to more effective cover. Instead, he repositioned himself behind the tree and shouted to his fellow team members to move to better cover. Soon afterward, the fugitive fired a second round, narrowly missing Deputy Byford's head. While still covering his team members, Deputy Byford was able to see the barrel of the subject’s rifle aimed in his direction through an open window. He returned fire, striking the subject in the torso and ending his deadly attack on law enforcement officers. Shortly afterward, the fugitive crawled out the front of the residence and surrendered.
Media Release
