UPDATE: 1:55 p.m.
The Oregon Department of Transportation has opened one lane of travel on northbound Interstate 5 at the intersection of Highway 22.
“Detours are in place. Taking an alternate route is still advisable,” the Salem Police Department said in a tweet.
Original story below.
The Oregon State Police said in a news release that one person was dead after an “officer-involved shooting” Monday morning on Interstate 5 near Mission Street.
The police statement said the incident involved state trooper but did not clarify who fired the shot that killed the individual, who was not identified or otherwise described.
State police said the shooting involving the trooper occurred around 8:42 a.m. on Monday, April 10, near milepost 254 on the northbound freeway. That is just north of the Mission Street overpass. Area traffic will be impacted for several hours, according to the agency.
“The incident included an officer involved shooting and a suspect is deceased,” the news release said.
VIDEO: Salem shooting scene
State police said additional information will come from the Salem Police Department, which is leading the investigation, and the Marion County District Attorney’s Office. Marion County requires that a police agency not involved in a fatal police shooting has to conduct the investigation.
The northbound freeway lanes were closed near the intersection with Mission Street as police investigated the shooting.
Video posted earlier on social media show police officers searching brushy areas on the east side of the freeway, but spokesmen for police agencies weren’t available to provide information until over two hours after the shooting.
As a precaution, lockdowns were instituted at about 9 a.m. Monday at Houck Middle School, Roberts SLC, Four Corners, Eyre and Miller elementary schools, according to officials from the Salem-Keizer School District. The lockdowns were lifted about 15 minutes later.
“The lockdowns at our schools have now been lifted. Out of an abundance of caution, we will have heightened security measures at our campuses today and keep all activities indoors throughout the day. Students and staff are safe,” according to a statement from the school district.
Northbound traffic is being diverted to the exit at southeast Mission Street. One southbound lane is also closed near Highway 22, according to ODOT spokesman Don Hamilton.
This is a developing story
Correction: this story was updated to reflect that Marion County, not the state, requires an investigation by an uninvolved agency, and to omit an unrelated comment from state police. Salem Reporter apologizes for the errors.
PREVIOUS COVERAGE:
Freeway closed at Mission Street as witnesses report shooting
Contact reporter Ardeshir Tabrizian: [email protected] or 503-929-3053.
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Ardeshir Tabrizian has covered criminal justice and housing for Salem Reporter since September 2021. As an Oregon native, his award-winning watchdog journalism has traversed the state. He has done reporting for The Oregonian, Eugene Weekly and Malheur Enterprise.
