Oregon Mayor Accused Of 'Firing Multiple Rounds' At Family Of 4 In Road Rage Incident

Dowen Jones, the mayor of Rufus, Oregon, was arrested by law enforcement officials Tuesday after a Halloween road rage incident.

The mayor was charged with attempted murder after he allegedly "fired multiple rounds" at a passing car, Hood River County Sheriff's Office said.

The shots fired by Jones landed on a car belonging to a family of four. A statement by the sheriff's office said two passengers in the car were minors, aged five and eight. None of the passengers were injured.

"The family slowed to get a description of the suspect vehicle for the purpose of reporting the erratic driving to the Sheriff's Office. As the family passed the suspect vehicle, a male subject stepped out of the passenger side and fired multiple rounds from a handgun at the passing family," the press release said.

While the police investigation is still on, Jones was arrested under the suspicion of attempted murder and four counts of attempted assault. It is unclear if Jones was targeting the family. The origin of the handgun is also unknown.

The mayor has been held in lieu of $100,000 bail, NBC News reported. He also reportedly made a court appearance, following which a follow-up appearance was scheduled on Nov. 10.

Jones became the mayor of Rufus, a city with a population of 268 residents, in 2018, according to the United States Census Bureau. His term is set to expire at the end of this year, according to the City Council website.

City Council president Scott Holliday told NBC News Jones was a "well-liked mayor" and the allegations seemed to be out of character.

"He is a good man. "Nobody understands what exactly happened, much less why. People think the world of him. He's just a good guy. So it's very, very grieving for something like this [to happen]," Holliday told NBC News in a statement.

Jones is being held at the North Oregon Corrections (NORCOR) facility.