Multiple people shot in Oregon after police respond to ‘possible hostage situation’

Multiple people were shot and killed on Monday after police responded to a “possible hostage situation” at a house in Oregon’s capital of Salem, the Marion County Sheriff’s Office said in a statement. 

The department issued a press release on Monday saying that officers arrived at a house in the early afternoon with a “trained negotiator” from the sheriff’s department. 

Police added that after arriving, “shots were fired,” resulting in “multiple fatalities during this incident, including that of the suspect.” The statement said that no deputies were injured in the confrontation. 

The sheriff’s office added that Oregon State Police are actively investigating the incident, with the deputies involved being “placed on administrative leave while the shooting is being investigated, as outlined by protocol.”

Oregon State Police Capt. Timothy R. Fox said in an email to The New York Times that more specific details surrounding the incident will be released to the public on Tuesday. 

This comes as demonstrations against police brutality have been held about 45 miles north in Portland for more than a hundred straight days. The protesters continue to clash with officers as they call for justice following recent police killings of Black individuals, including George Floyd and Breonna Taylor. 

CBS’s Portland affiliate station, KOIN, reported that more than 20 people were arrested Monday night after police declared that protesters were unlawfully gathering outside the police union headquarters. 

Oregon Gov. Kate Brown (D) declared a state of emergency on Friday ahead of a far-right rally over the weekend, with police cracking down to prevent violence from erupting at the demonstration and among counterprotesters. 

Brown announced Sunday in a series of tweets that state and local police officials would be investigating allegations of officers hitting and pushing journalists at Saturday’s protests after videos supposedly capturing these incidents circulated on social media. 

“Free speech and free press are two of my core values. I take the use of physical force by law enforcement officers seriously, whether it involves members of the public or the media,” Brown said in one of the tweets.