On Friday March 10, 2017, at approximately 3:23 p.m., a Pendleton Police Department Officer stopped a vehicle near the intersection of SW Quinney Ave and SW 41st Street for a traffic violation. Shortly after stopping the vehicle, the officer radioed that a shot had been fired. Officers from the Pendleton Police Department and the Oregon State Police responded to the stop location. Upon arrival of responding officers, an attempt was made to establish contact with the driver and sole male occupant of the vehicle. The driver was unresponsive to police commands and officers were able to see inside the vehicle. Officer’s observed driver was suffering from an apparent self-inflicted gunshot wound. The driver was removed from the vehicle and officers began rendering medical care until the arrival of Pendleton Emergency Medical personnel at which time they began administering medical care. The driver was transported to St. Anthony Hospital and died while receiving care at the hospital. The deceased driver of the vehicle has been identified as a 36 year old male from Pendleton. The name of the involved deceased male will be released pending notification of next of kin. The name of the involved officer will be released pending authorization by the Pendleton Police Department. The Oregon State Police Criminal Investigation Division has assumed lead of this incident and is conducting the investigation.
