Grand jury finds officer justified in shooting, wounding man in West Salem
A Polk County grand jury on Thursday unanimously found two Salem police officers were justified in shooting and injuring a man in West Salem on Sept. 13.
Polk County District Attorney Aaron Felton provided no details about the episode in a news release Thursday evening. But the Oregon State Police, which investigated the shooting, said at the time that the man was suspected of kidnapping a woman when he got out of a car with a knife as police approached, prompting the Salem officers to shoot him.
Grand jurors found that Salem Police Department officers Nathan Bush and Colton Ruyle shot Daniel L. Garcia, 34, in self-defense as allowed under state law. The district attorney’s statement didn’t say how many times the officers shot Garcia or where he was struck.
Felton declined to provide additional details about the incident due to a pending investigation.
A month after the shooting, Garcia remained lodged at the Marion County Jail as of Friday morning on a parole violation. State court records showed no criminal charges related to the West Salem incident.
Felton’s statement didn’t address whether grand jurors considered whether to charge Garcia with a crime.
They heard testimony from Salem police officers and state police detectives. They also reviewed photos of the scene and body-worn camera video from officers involved in the incident.
Polk County requires that police agencies consult with the district attorney to decide what agency will conduct an investigation when officers use deadly force.
State police said at the time that Salem officers responded after a woman reported she was being kidnapped at 585 Wallace Rd. N.W. at 4:30 a.m. on Sept. 13.
Salem police found the vehicle and pursued the driver, who turned into the Glen Creek Park Apartments about a half mile away from the location of the reported kidnapping. The driver stopped the car in the parking lot, state police said, and the woman got out of the car as officers approached.
Garcia then got out with a knife, according to state police.
Grand jurors found that the Salem officers needed to shoot Garcia to defend themselves against “imminent use of deadly physical force,” according to Felton’s statement.
RELATED COVERAGE:
OSP identifies Salem officers involved in shooting kidnapping suspect
UPDATE: Salem police shoot, wound kidnapping suspect near West Salem apartment complex
Contact reporter Ardeshir Tabrizian: [email protected] or 503-929-3053.
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Ardeshir Tabrizian has covered the justice system and public safety 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.
