UPDATE – 4:46 p.m. Monday, Jan. 29
An 18-year-old Salem man accused of shooting and killing a 15-year-old boy last November now faces new charges alleging he tried to kill two other people during the same incident.
A Marion County grand jury on Friday, Jan. 26, indicted Gage J. Clark Adkins of Salem on two counts of attempted first-degree murder and three counts of unlawful use of a weapon, court records showed. He was charged earlier this month with murdering Matthew Newman of Salem on Nov. 6.
Newman’s body was found in a northeast Salem neighborhood last November, but authorities have released few details about the boy’s death.
The new charges allege Clark Adkins shot at two other people during “the same criminal episode,” according to the indictment, which provided no details about the shooting.
The indictment said the victims were shot at in a vehicle on the same day Newman was found dead.
Clark Adkins remained in custody at the Marion County Jail, where he was being held without bail as of Monday, Jan. 29, the jail’s roster showed. More court proceedings are scheduled for Feb. 6, according to court records.
Original story below:
An 18-year-old Salem man was charged by a Marion County grand jury with shooting and killing a 15-year-old boy last November. The boy’s body was found in a northeast Salem neighborhood last November, but authorities have been tight lipped about the death.
Marion County court records show that Gage J. Clark Adkins of Salem was indicted on Wednesday, Jan. 3, for second-degree murder. The indictment gave no details about the murder.
The killing came as police, prosecutors and city officials address a surge in gun violence in Salem. A report issued Nov. 15 said police records chronicled a growing number of juveniles involved as both assailants and victims in gun-related crimes.
Salem police announced the arrest of Clark Adkins on Thursday but wouldn’t identify him, citing an “investigatory reason.”
Marion County District Attorney Paige Clarkson subsequently disclosed Clark Adkins’ identity in a news release Thursday afternoon issued after Salem Reporter began questioning authorities about the arrest and the reasons for secrecy.
“The suspect was not previously identified due to investigatory considerations. No additional information will be provided regarding that decision at this time,” prosecutors said in their statement. Clarkson did not respond to earlier written questions about the matter.
The charge alleges that he fatally shot Matthew Newman of Salem, according to the indictment.
Clark Adkins was booked Wednesday into Marion County Jail, where he was being held without bail as of Thursday afternoon, the jail’s roster showed.
Salem police responded around 7:30 a.m. on Monday, Nov. 6, to a report of an unconscious person in a truck in the 1000 block of Northeast Evergreen Avenue, near the Jory Apartments.
Police at the time determined the boy, whom they did not identify, had died from a gunshot wound and within a week classified its investigation as a homicide.
The Salem agency said in a news release Thursday that police arrested the suspect Wednesday afternoon as he was walking in the area of Southeast Kinsington Street and Southeast Wickshire Court.
“As officers approached the suspect, he began to reach for an object in his waistband,” police said in the statement. “However, a less-lethal munition was deployed by an officer which effectively resulted in the suspect’s surrender.”
Police found a handgun on the arrested man, later identified as Clark Adkins, the statement said.
Salem police have a practice of not identifying minors involved in criminal investigations.
More court proceedings are scheduled for Feb. 6 at 1 p.m. in Marion County Circuit Court.
RELATED COVERAGE:
Teen, 15, found dead in car was shot, Salem police say
Police investigating “suspicious death” of teen found in car in NE Salem
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.
