PUBLIC SAFETY

Salem police shoot, injure man suspected of pointing gun in Popeyes parking lot

A Salem police officer shot and injured a man in northeast Salem Thursday evening after the man pointed “what appeared to be a gun” at the officer.

Police said a caller around 4:45 p.m. reported a man with a gun in the parking lot of Popeyes Restaurant at 2595 Lancaster Drive N.E. was trying to stop cars and had pointed the gun at a person.

A witness in the area flagged down an officer and gave a description of the suspect, police said in a Thursday night news release.

The officer found the suspect walking near the intersection of Northeast Coral Avenue and Northeast Wolverine Street.

While the officer was in his car, the suspect pointed something that appeared to be a gun at him, prompting the officer to shoot.

The man was transported for medical care with a non-life threatening injury, police said. The officer was uninjured.

Oregon State Police are investigating the police shooting, and Salem police said they would not release any other information.

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Rachel Alexander is Salem Reporter’s managing editor. She joined Salem Reporter when it was founded in 2018 and covers city news, education, nonprofits and a little bit of everything else. She’s been a journalist in Oregon and Washington for a decade. Outside of work, she’s a skater and board member with Salem’s Cherry City Roller Derby and can often be found with her nose buried in a book.