PUBLIC SAFETY

Salem police release account of fatal police shootout on I-5

A 31-year-old man died Monday after holding a truck driver at gunpoint on Interstate 5 in Salem on and then engaging in a gun battle with an Oregon State Police trooper,  the Salem Police Department said in a news release. The state trooper sustained unspecified injuries.

Felipe A. Manzo started the shootout shortly before 10 a.m., running into nearby shrubbery, where police found him with gunshot wounds, according to the news release.

The Oregon State Police earlier in the day said an unidentified person had died after an “officer-involved shooting” along the freeway, just north of Mission Street.

The episode brought freeway traffic to a standstill and northbound lanes were closed for hours, sending streams of traffic through Salem streets. Area schools were briefly locked down as police responded.

Police released no details about the truck driver or what lead to the initial confrontation.

Salem police said in a statement that at 8:42 a.m. Monday, a state trooper stopped on the freeway near Mission Street to help the driver of a disabled semitrailer.

The trooper, identified as Andrew Tuttle, encountered a man holding the driver at gunpoint.

“The trooper immediately encountered gunfire from the suspect, and the trooper returned fire,” according to the statement.

Manzo ran east from the freeway into tall grass. Police found him in shrubbery with gunshot injuries.

“Paramedics and law enforcement officers provided medical assistance to Manzo for those injuries, however, he died at the scene,” according to the news release.

A handgun was found next to Manzo.

Tuttle suffered injuries during the shootout “which did not require further medical attention,” Salem police said. The statement said the source of Tuttle’s injuries is being investigated.

Police said they then searched a vehicle on the scene that was linked to Manzo but didn’t disclose the results. Witness photos showed a black SUV parked along the freeway with shattered side windows.

Tuttle was hired by the state police in August 2016. He previously served six years in the U.S. Navy, including four years as a military police officer.

Tuttle has been placed on administrative leave. Marion County requires that “involved officers” – which under state law includes both officers that fire shots or witness another do so – be placed on paid administrative leave during investigations.

The Marion County District Attorney’s Office has asked the Salem police to lead the investigation of the shooting. The county requires that a police agency not involved in a fatal police shooting conduct the investigation.

Northbound I-5 was closed between mileposts 252 and 254 throughout Monday. The state Department of Transportation said one lane was opened at 11:30 a.m., and other lanes were reopened throughout the day. Police cleared the scene around 6 p.m.

Court records show Manzo lived in Independence as recently as 2013 and online social records indicated he still lived in the area.

He pleaded guilty in Polk County Circuit Court to third-degree assault and fourth-degree assault in 2010, and unlawful possession of a firearm in 2020. The latter case stems from charges filed seven years earlier for which he failed to appear at the time, according to court records.

RELATED COVERAGE:

Person killed in shooting involving state trooper on I5, police say

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.