Multiple People Killed In Oregon 'Hostage Situation'

Multiple people were killed after authorities responded to what was described as a “possible hostage situation” in Salem Monday.

Marion County Sheriff’s Office deputies were dispatched around 12:30 p.m. after they received a call of a “possible hostage situation” at Juneva Place. A trained negotiator from the department’s Hostage Negotiation Team then placed a call to the suspect as soon as they arrived at the location, the Sheriff’s Office said in a media release.

Deputies said shots were fired as the incident unfolded. Details about the shooting were not immediately available, but the Office cited “multiple fatalities,” including the suspect.

No deputies were reported injured, while information regarding the victims was not released.

“At this time there is no reason to believe there is any outstanding danger to the community,” the media release stated.

Neighbor Katie O’Kelly told FOX12 Oregon that she heard three shots and within five minutes, “heard a bang.” She also noticed several people were put onto stretchers.

“The sirens I heard were all the ambulances coming in. They loaded three different people that I could see. One of them right in front of my house,” O’Kelly said.

Another resident, Brian Johnson, who described the incident as “disturbing,” wished for authorities to share more details and let the public know what had happened.

“I’d like to have some more information, you know, kinda find out what happened and, you know, why, why it happened,” Johnson told FOX12.

The Oregon State Police were called to investigate the “officer-involved shooting,” said the release. Deputies involved in the shooting will be placed on administrative leave while the incident is being investigated as outlined by the Office’s protocol.

The road in front of the house where the shooting took place was closed for several hours following a police investigation. Mahrt Avenue was later reopened around 5:30 p.m.

The incident came in the wake of nightly protests in Portland where police and demonstrators continue to clash. Several dozen Portland police moved on protesters in a north Portland park late Monday before the gathering even started.

Armored officers advanced at the crowd, confiscating makeshift shields and other articles. A journalist from Oregon Live heard once officer saying that they were looking “for a particular person.”