On March 25, 2021, starting at about 3:30 AM, the Lane County Sheriff’s Office began receiving 911 calls from residents in the 24000 block of Horn Road in Elmira. Callers reported hearing loud yelling and shots being fired. A few minutes later, one of the female callers reported that a neighbor, identified as 34-year-old Elmira resident Brandon Coats, was outside her residence trying to force his way inside. The female caller, her husband and their minor child were home at the time. The female’s husband armed himself with a handgun in order to protect his family and a few moments later Coats forcibly broke open their front door armed with a shotgun. Coats was shot by the caller’s husband during the confrontation and held at gunpoint until Sheriff’s Deputies could arrive. Upon the deputies’ arrival, Coats was transported via ambulance to a local hospital, where he is being treated for what appear to be non-life threatening wounds. The victims in the incident were physically uninjured and are cooperating with the investigation. The investigation to this point indicates that Coats, for a yet-to-be determined reason, fired several rounds from at least two firearms inside his residence and then went over to at least two neighboring residences demanding to be let inside. The second neighboring residence is where Coats is alleged to have forcibly broken open the front door armed with a shotgun, resulting in the male homeowner shooting him. At this stage of the investigation, Coats is being held for Burglary 1, Menacing X3, Unlawful Use of a Weapon and Criminal Mischief. Additional charges could result as the investigation continues.
