Deschutes County Sheriff’s Office are investigating an altercation that took place in an area where transient camps are located off China Hat Road, near mile post 2. Last Sunday morning, deputies were dispatched to St. Charles Bend where a 33-year-old woman was being treated for a gunshot wound.
Early on in the investigation the Deschutes County Sheriff’s Office SWAT team, detectives, and patrol deputies responded to the area of the transient camps where the event was reported to have taken place, to ensure no other subjects were injured or in need of emergency medical attention. Investigators located and secured the crime scenes associated with the event.
Investigators learned through speaking with the victim and other subjects on scene at the hospital the events leading up to the shooting. During the early hours of the morning on December 9th, three individuals driving a pick-up truck attempted to steal a recreational vehicle from the transient camps off China Hat Road. According to those involved, the recreational vehicle was not occupied, and the owner was recently deceased.
While fleeing the scene with the stolen recreational vehicle in tow, the three suspects were chased by the victim and another male when the recreational vehicle became stuck in between trees. The three suspects, in their haste to steal the deceased subject’s recreational vehicle did not retract the stabilizing jacks or pull in any of the slides that were extended. The recreational vehicle became stuck while attempting to navigate the narrow winding paths that now have become thoroughfares in the U.S. National Forest off China Hat Road.
The victim and her friend confronted the three suspects by jumping into the bed of the pick-up truck and proceeded to break out the rear window of the pick-up truck and began throwing items from the bed out onto the ground. During this moment numerous shots were fired from a semi-automatic handgun by one of the subjects inside the pick-up truck, striking the woman in the area of her shoulder.
The recreational vehicle was lit on fire while the three subjects inside the pick-up truck attempted to detach it from their vehicle. As the recreational vehicle was now fully engulfed in flames, the three subjects fled the scene prior to Law Enforcement arrival after detaching the pick-up from the recreational vehicle.
Detectives along with the SWAT team were able to locate and subsequently arrest all three subjects without incident at a residence in La Pine.
At this time the investigation is on-going, however there is no longer any danger to the community. Anyone with information regarding this event is encouraged to contact the Deschutes County Sheriff’s Office Detective Division.
