Police on Tuesday arrested a Salem teen in the shooting death of a 34-year-old man found over two weeks ago on a northeast Salem sidewalk.
A Marion County grand jury has indicted Michael R. Solis, 19, on charges of second-degree murder, unlawful use of a firearm and two counts of unlawful possession of a firearm, according to court documents.
The charges allege Solis shot and killed Steven M. Hill, a Salem resident, on July 1. Authorities have provided little information about the shooting.
The Salem Police Department said in a news release the following day that passersby found Hill around 7 p.m. with a gunshot wound on the sidewalk at the intersection of Northeast Silverton Road and 17th Street, near the Oregon State Fairgrounds. He was pronounced dead shortly after by paramedics, according to the statement.
The agency at the time said no suspect had been arrested.
Salem police detectives arrested Solis and booked him into Marion County Jail, where he was being held without bail as of Thursday, according to the jail’s roster.
The teen is also accused of carrying a concealed gun on two occasions since the fatal shooting, according to the indictment.
Marion County Deputy District Attorney Brendan Murphy declined to answer written questions about what prompted the shooting or if the suspect and victim knew each other, saying the case was still pending.
More court proceedings are scheduled for July 31 at 1 p.m. in Marion County Circuit Court.
Solis previously pleaded guilty in September 2022 to recklessly endangering another person, court records showed.
He received an 18-month deferred sentence as part of his plea deal, meaning the charge could have been dismissed if he followed conditions of his probation.
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Contact reporter Natalie Sharp: [email protected] or 503-522-6493.
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Natalie Sharp is an Oregon State University student working as a reporter for Salem Reporter in summer 2023. She is part of the Snowden internship program at the University of Oregon's School of Communication and Journalism.
