The Polk County Courthouse (Amanda Loman/Salem Reporter)
Three people pleaded or were found guilty in recent weeks for their roles in a February 2021 shooting at a west Salem Safeway that left a man with near-fatal injuries.
Colton Thomas James Burr, 23, of Mill City, plead guilty Jan. 21 to second-degree attempted murder and was sentenced to seven and a half years in prison, court documents show. Charges of second-degree conspiracy to commit murder, first-degree assault and two counts of unlawful use of a weapon were dismissed as part of his plea deal.
Katie Taylor Slay, 24, of Mill City, was found guilty Wednesday of second-degree conspiracy to commit murder and second-degree solicitation to commit murder, and was sentenced to seven and a half years in prison, court records showed.
Austin Mitchell McClure, 22, of Lebanon, pleaded guilty Dec. 6 to conspiracy to commit unlawful use of a weapon and is scheduled to be sentenced March 14, according to court documents. As part of his plea deal, charges of conspiracy to commit murder, second-degree attempted murder, first-degree assault and unlawful use of a weapon were dropped.
The case was prosecuted by Polk County District Attorney Aaron Felton and Deputy District Attorney Erin Brady. It was investigated by detectives from the Salem Police Department.
The Polk County District Attorney’s office said in a news release Thursday that Bryant Karner, of Salem, was shot Feb. 27, 2021 while sitting in his vehicle in the parking lot of Safeway on Northwest Edgewater Street.
Polk County District Attorney Aaron Felton said Slay and Karner are ex-spouses, and Slay sought out Burr to kill Karner.
Around 11:30 p.m. officers found Karner with a gunshot wound and aided him until paramedics arrived, according to a police news release at the time.
This story was updated after Polk County District Attorney Aaron Felton provided more information.
-Ardeshir Tabrizian
