Armed Bend man arrested on charges he threatened to commit mass shooting after family argument
Barney Lerten
(Update: Police tell KTVZ suspect made ‘general,’ not specific threat)
BEND, Ore. (KTVZ) — An armed Bend man was arrested Friday afternoon and taken to St. Charles Bend for evaluation after allegedly threatening to commit a mass shooting after an argument with family members, police said Monday.
Shortly before 1 p.m., police received a report of a man who had contacted a family member to report he was planning to execute a mass shooting after an argument with family members, police Communications Manager Sheila Miller said.
The 36-year-old man was known to own multiple firearms, she said.
Later Monday, Miller told KTVZ News: “His threat was not specific to any particular group of people, it was general (not directed at his family – just to kill multiple people).”
Miller said officers responded to the man’s home in the 3000 block of NE Waller Avenue, where they were able to see his white pickup truck parked in the driveway.
One officer put a drone in the air while another observed from a distance, Miller said. They saw him leave the home, carrying an AR-15-style rifle and a duffel bag and wearing a ballistic vest. He then removed the vest, placed it in the vehicle and got into the truck to leave.
But while he was still in the driveway, officers stopped the truck and ordered him out at gunpoint, and he complied without incident, Miller said. He was taken into custody and transported to St. Charles Bend for evaluation. Miller told KTVZ News on Monday, “It’s my understanding he remains under medical care.”
Officers searched the man’s vehicle and home, and also applied for and were granted an Extreme Risk Protection Order (ERPO). That’s a court order preventing a person at risk of hurting themselves or another person from having or getting access to deadly weapons like firearms.
Miller said the suspect was arrested on charges of second-degree disorderly conduct and unlawful use of or carrying a weapon. KTVZ News’ policy is not to name arrested individuals until and unless formal charges are filed.
KTVZ News is following up on this breaking news; we’ll have updates as we get them and on KTVZ News this evening.