A former state prison guard shot and killed his brother at a Dallas home on Saturday, drove 18 miles to the Oregon State Penitentiary in Salem and got into a standoff with police before surrendering, according to Polk County District Attorney Aaron Felton.
Alonzo E. Rowell, 51, of Dallas, was charged on Tuesday in Polk County Circuit Court with second-degree murder, first-degree assault, unlawful use of a weapon and recklessly endangering another person.
Rowell is accused of killing his brother, Tony Miller, 54, outside of the trailer where Miller lived in the 1400 block of Southeast Monmouth Cutoff Road.
Felton declined to comment on Rowell’s motive for shooting his brother or why he drove to the state penitentiary.
Rowell previously worked at the prison, where he was certified as a corrections officer, and resigned in April 2023, according to state records. Details of the resignation could not immediately be established, but his departure has been under review since May 2, 2023, by the Oregon Department of Public Safety Standards and Training. The agency certifies officers and reviews complaints of misconduct.
The Dallas Police Department responded around 9:30 a.m. on Saturday to a report of shots at the rural Dallas home.
Officers tried to revive Miller, who died at the scene, Dallas police said in a news release.
Meantime, Rowell headed to the penitentiary on State Street, according to Felton.
He tried to “make contact” with corrections employees on the property but never got inside the prison, according to Felton.
Felton said a Salem Police Department SWAT team responded to the prison. After “a short standoff,” Rowell surrendered and was arrested, the district attorney said.
Prosecutors are seeking warrants to search Rowell’s vehicle, which they expect contains weapons, according to Felton.
Rowell was booked into the Polk County Jail, where he was being held without bail as of Tuesday afternoon, according to the jail’s roster.
More court proceedings are scheduled for Nov. 19.
Rowell previously pleaded guilty in 2016 to recklessly endangering another person. At the time, be “discharged a firearm into some woods” while intoxicated at a Dallas apartment complex, according to his plea petition in Polk County Circuit Court. He was sentenced to probation in that case.
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.
