Police arrested a 19-year-old Stayton man Wednesday in connection with a downtown Salem shooting on June 29 that left a 16-year-old boy wounded.
The Marion County District Attorney’s Office on Wednesday charged William J. Wilson with attempted murder, assault and unlawful use of a weapon.
He appeared in court on the charges Wednesday afternoon and remains lodged in the Marion County Jail.
Salem detectives and the Stayton Police Department worked together to arrest William J. Wilson outside a home on the 200 block of N 4th Ave. in Stayton.
On June 29, police responded to the Pringle Plaza Parkade around 9:20 p.m. after receiving a report of a victim with a gunshot wound.
An investigation by Salem’s violent crimes unit determined that on June 29, two groups were at the parkade at 399 High St. S.E. before a dispute began. Gunfire started, wounding the victim.
At the time of the shooting, police said the victim and suspect were “known to one another.”
Angela Hedrick, spokeswoman for Salem Police Department, and Deputy District Attorney Brendan Murphy declined to provide more details Wednesday about what prompted the shooting or how the victim and suspect knew one another.
The investigation into the shooting is still open and ongoing, Murphy said.
Before the shooting in June, police and the Marion County Sheriff’s Department announced an effort to reduce violence in the community in response to a rise in shootings over the past five years.
“This type of violence will not be tolerated in our community, and offenders will be held accountable,” said Salem Police Chief Trevor Womack said in a statement.
Contact reporter Madeleine Moore: [email protected].
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Madeleine Moore is working as a reporter at Salem Reporter through the University of Oregon’s Charles Snowden internship program. She came to Salem after graduating from the University of Oregon in June 2024 with a bachelor’s degree in journalism.
