An employee who was killed in a shootout at a Safeway supermarket in Bend, Oregon, attacked the shooter in the produce section and attempted to disarm him, likely avoiding further deaths, officials said Monday. authorities. The 66-year-old employee, identified as Donald Ray Surrett Jr., of Bend, was hailed a hero by police at a press conference. Surrett and a customer, Glenn Edward Bennett, 84, also of Bend, were killed Sunday night. Two others were injured. “Mr. Surrett engaged with the shooter, tried to disarm him, and could very well have prevented more deaths. Mr. Surrett acted heroically in filming this terrible event,” Bend Police spokeswoman Sheila Miller said at a news conference as she fought back tears. and a shotgun. Police have identified the shooter as Ethan Blair Miller, 20, of Bend. The shooter lived in an apartment complex behind the Forum shopping mall. Witnesses said he started shooting Sunday night as soon as he left the complex and continued shooting as he entered the shopping complex parking lot and then into the Safeway. Bennett was killed at the entrance to the store, police said, and the shooter then walked through the aisles “spraying shots” from the assault rifle until Surrett confronted him at the back of the store in the product section. The entire incident — from the initial 911 calls to officers discovering the suspect dead in the store — happened in four minutes, Miller said. Police entered the supermarket from the front and back as shots were still being fired. Americans “must beware of the cynicism of thinking that these breaches of order and peace are regular and unavoidable things. I will not accept this.” “We know that in the face of the kind of chaos we saw last night, we had brave first responders, brave citizens, people ready to defend their neighbours,” he said. added. Authorities later found three Molotov cocktails and a sawed-off shotgun in the shooter’s car. The Oregon State Police bomb squad was called in to sweep the store, car and suspect’s apartment searching for explosives, authorities said, forcing the evacuation of eight surrounding apartments Monday morning.Miller said reports that there was a second shooter were false.She said the Reports of other shootings around Bend at the same time were also false.Authorities are seeking a search warrant to sift through online records of an undetermined number of digital devices they found in the man’s apartment. shooter, but declined to comment on information released by the suspect. their plans online in advance. Bend police are working with the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives to determine where the suspect obtained his weapons and whether he did so legally, Miller said. “We are aware that the shooter may have posted information online regarding his plan. We are investigating this,” she said. “We have no evidence of any prior threats or prior knowledge of the shooter. . We received information about the shooter’s writings after the incident. And the shooter has no criminal history in the area. “Those who were in the Safeway on Sunday described panic and chaos as the shooting unfolded. Josh Caba, a customer at the store, told KTVZ he was with his four children when he heard multiple gunshots.”I immediately turned to my children and said, ‘Run! People were screaming,'” Caba told the outlet. “It was a horrible experience.” mourning the loss of family and friends,” tweeted US Senator Ron Wyden, a Democrat. safe from gun violence.” Oregon residents will vote in November on one of the toughest gun control measures in the nation. If passed, Measure 114 would ban high-profile magazines capacity of more than 10 rounds – excluding current owners, law enforcement and the military – and require a license to purchase a firearm d check State police would create a base of firearms data. Bend is a city of about 97,000 people about 160 miles southeast of Portland, Oregon. ____ Associated Press reporters Claire Rush in Portland; Freida Frisaro in Fort Lauderdale, In Florida; and AP researcher Jennifer Farrar in New York contributed to this report.
An employee who was killed in a shootout at a Safeway supermarket in Bend, Oregon, attacked the shooter in the produce section and attempted to disarm him, likely avoiding further deaths, officials said Monday. authorities.
The 66-year-old employee, identified as Donald Ray Surrett Jr., of Bend, was hailed a hero by police at a press conference. Surrett and a customer, Glenn Edward Bennett, 84, also of Bend, were killed Sunday night. Two others were injured.
“Mr. Surrett engaged with the shooter, attempted to disarm him and could very well have prevented further deaths. Mr. Surrett acted heroically in turning this terrible event,” the police spokeswoman said of Bend, Sheila Miller, at a press conference as she fought back tears.
Police said on Monday the shooter died of a self-inflicted gunshot wound and was in the vicinity of an AR-15 type weapon and a shotgun. Police have identified the shooter as Ethan Blair Miller, 20, of Bend.
The shooter lived in an apartment complex behind the Forum shopping mall. Witnesses said he started shooting Sunday night as soon as he left the complex and continued shooting as he entered the shopping complex parking lot and then into the Safeway.
Bennett was killed at the entrance to the store, police said, and the shooter then moved through the aisles ‘spraying shots’ from the assault rifle until Surrett confronted him from the back of the store in the product section. The entire incident — from the initial 911 calls to officers discovering the suspect dead in the store — happened in four minutes, Miller said.
Police entered the supermarket from the front and back as shots were still being fired.
Bend Mayor Pro Tem Anthony Broadman said Americans “must guard against the cynicism of viewing these attacks on peace and order as regular and unavoidable things. I will not accept this.
“We know that in the face of the kind of chaos we saw last night, we had brave first responders, brave citizens, people ready to defend their neighbours,” he added.
Authorities then found three Molotov cocktails and a sawed-off shotgun in the shooter’s car. The Oregon State Police bomb squad was called in to sweep the suspect’s store, car and apartment for explosives, authorities said, forcing the evacuation of eight surrounding apartments Monday morning.
Miller said reports that there was a second shooter were false. She said reports of other shootings around Bend at the same time were also false.
Authorities are seeking a search warrant to sift through online documents on an unknown number of digital devices they found in the shooter’s apartment, but declined to comment on reports that the suspect posted his plans online in advance. Bend police are working with the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives to determine where the suspect obtained his weapons and whether he did so legally, Miller said.
“We are aware that the shooter may have posted information regarding his plan online. We are investigating this,” she said. “We have no evidence of any prior threats or prior knowledge of the shooter. . We received information about the shooter’s writings after the incident. And the shooter has no criminal history in the area.”
Those in the Safeway on Sunday described panic and chaos as the shooting unfolded.
Josh Caba, a shopper at the store, told KTVZ he was with his four children when he heard multiple gunshots.
“I immediately turned to my children and said, ‘Run!’ People were screaming,” Caba told the outlet. “It was a horrible experience.”
Oregon’s elected leaders responded to the shooting Monday by pledging to fight for more gun control.
“America can’t just shrug its shoulders at another mass shooting with loved ones mourning the loss of family and friends,” tweeted US Senator Ron Wyden, a Democrat.
Governor Kate Brown, a Democrat, said in a statement that the shooting was one of many in Oregon over the weekend and that “Oregonians deserve to be safe from gun violence.” .
Oregonians will vote in November on one of the toughest gun control measures in the country. If passed, Measure 114 would ban high-capacity magazines of more than 10 rounds – except for current owners, law enforcement and the military – and require a license to purchase any armed.
To be eligible for a license, an applicant would need to complete an approved firearms safety course, pay a fee, provide personal information, submit to fingerprinting and photographing, and pass a background check criminals. The state police would create a firearms database.
Bend is a city of about 97,000 about 160 miles southeast of Portland, Oregon.
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Associated Press reporters Claire Rush in Portland; Freida Frisaro in Fort Lauderdale, Florida; and AP researcher Jennifer Farrar in New York contributed to this report.
