Two Salem police officers shot and wounded a kidnapping suspect after he came out of a car with a knife early Friday morning near a west Salem apartment complex, according to the Salem Police Department.
The agency said in a news release that the suspect was hospitalized and no officers were injured.
The shooting occurred after a woman called police around 4:30 a.m. Friday and reported that she was being kidnapped.
Salem officers found a vehicle with the woman inside and tried to stop the man driving, who turned into the parking lot of the Glen Creek Park Apartments on Northwest Glen Creek Road and stopped.
As officers approached the vehicle, the woman got out of the car.
“The suspect exited the car armed with a knife and was shot by two of the responding officers,” Salem police said in the news release.
Officers immediately provided medical aid to the suspect, 34, and he was then transported to Salem Hospital, where he was still being treated as of Friday morning.
Salem police did not immediately respond to questions about the time of the shooting and how far police pursued the suspect.
The Oregon State Police are the primary agency conducting use of a deadly force investigation and will coordinate with the Polk County District Attorney’s Office. Salem police said that the state agency will release all additional information about the shooting.
The county requires that police agencies consult with the district attorney to decide what agency will conduct such an investigation.
State police did not immediately respond to a written question about the names of the suspect and involved officers.
Salem police closed off Northwest Glen Creek Road near Wallace Marine Park to investigate.
As of Friday morning, Glen Creek Road remained closed between Northwest Cornucopia Street and Wallace Marine Park in west Salem, the Salem Police Department said Friday morning on X, formerly Twitter.
The agency asked people to avoid the area, with the exception of residents who live at an apartment complex on the street. The nearby entrance to the park is also closed.
This is a developing story.
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.
