Curry County DA Offers No New Details after Grand Jury Panel Decides Officer Involved Shooting Justified

The Curry County District Attorney’s Office issued a press release Thursday afternoon, February 28th, regarding an officer-involved shooting that took place in Gold Beach on January 12th.  

An officer involved shooting took place early Friday evening, January 12th, in Gold Beach during a traffic stop at approximately 5:29pm.   

According to a press release by the Curry County District Attorney’s Office released after the officer-involved shooting incident occurred in mid January, a Gold Beach Police Officer stopped a motorist near the intersection of Highway 101 and Caughell Street in Gold Beach.

Based on events that took place during the traffic stop, the officer discharged his firearm at least once striking the suspect.  

On Thursday, February 28th, the Curry County District Attorney’s Office presented a grand jury panel, consisting of seven Curry County citizens drawn by the court at random from the pool of jurors selected to serve during a particular jury service term, the investigation of the officer-involved shooting in Gold Beach on Friday, January 12th . 

The grand jurors heard testimony from the involved officer, scene investigators and an eyewitness. The grand jurors were not limited to, photographs and testimony of involved investigators and eyewitness accounts of the incident. Following deliberations, the grand jury voted and determined unanimously that the actions of the involved officer were justified under Oregon law. 

The investigation into the officer-involved shooting was led by the Oregon State Police in cooperation with the Curry County District Attorney’s Office. Due to the potential for criminal charges against the individual who was shot by the officer, the Curry County District Attorney’s Office will not discuss any facts until any criminal case has been adjudicated.