Shooting justified, official says.Byline: Rebecca Nolan The Register-Guard Archie Willie Churchill III was a wanted felon An individual who commits a crime of a serious nature, such as Burglary or murder. A person who commits a felony. felon n. a person who has been convicted of a felony, which is a crime punishable by death or a term in state or federal prison. armed with a stolen gun who had told friends and family that he never would return to prison. Springfield police officer Brian Gay Joseph Brian Gay (born December 14, 1971) is an American professional golfer. Gay was born in Fort Worth, Texas. He plays on the PGA Tour, and has never won a tournament, although he has finished second on two occasions. knew none of that when he decided to stop the motorcycle Churchill was driving Thursday afternoon. Churchill fled, crashed the bike and scuffled with Gay, who fired four bullets at Churchill when the wanted man pulled a gun from the waistband of his pants and raised it toward the officer. Churchill, 31, died on the street where he fell. Investigators found one round in the stolen .40-caliber gun he carried. Chief Deputy Lane County District Attorney Alex Gardner Alexander Gardner (April 28, 1861 in Toronto, Ontario, Canada - June 18, 1926) is a former Canadian major league catcher. He played in his only game on May 10, 1884. He went 0-3 at the plate. External links
"His use of deadly force An amount of force that is likely to cause either serious bodily injury or death to another person. Police officers may use deadly force in specific circumstances when they are trying to enforce the law. was necessary, appropriate and lawful," Gardner said at a press conference in the Lane County courthouse. Gay is on paid administrative leave pending the outcome of an Oregon State Police probe and an internal investigation. He has been a Springfield officer for 19 years and never had used his weapon before Thursday, Springfield Police Chief Jerry Smith Jerry Smith may refer to the following people:
Churchill had a long list of convictions for drug possession, domestic violence and illegal weapon possession, according to according to prep. 1. As stated or indicated by; on the authority of: according to historians. 2. In keeping with: according to instructions. 3. court records. He previously had served time in the Snake River Snake River River, northwestern U.S. It is the largest tributary of the Columbia River and one of the most important streams in the Pacific Northwest. It rises in the mountains of Yellowstone National Park in Wyoming and flows south and west through Idaho, turning north at Correctional Institution Noun 1. correctional institution - a penal institution maintained by the government detention camp, detention home, detention house, house of detention - an institution where juvenile offenders can be held temporarily (usually under the supervision of a juvenile in Ontario and had told friends and family that he would not return, officials said. "This involves a man who had an outstanding felony warrant who said he didn't want to go back to prison," Gardner said. Churchill had been wanted on the warrant for more than a month when the motorcycle officer saw him blow through a red light at the intersection of Centennial Boulevard and Mill Street on Thursday. He was driving the motorcycle of a friend who had been arrested earlier in the day, Gardner said. Churchill sped south on Mill Street when the police officer activated his lights and siren. The brief pursuit ended when Churchill ran a second red light at Main Street and crashed the motorcycle, bringing commuter traffic Noun 1. commuter traffic - traffic created by people going to or returning from work traffic - the aggregation of things (pedestrians or vehicles) coming and going in a particular locality during a specified period of time to a halt. He ignored the officer's orders to get on the ground and did not submit when Gay hit him with a police baton, witnesses and police said. Gay fired four times when Churchill pulled the gun from the front of his pants. Police did not know how many times he was hit. An autopsy is planned for today. "It was a standard and appropriate escalation of force," Gardner said. "This was a case where the officer exercised exceptional restraint." Churchill's father, Archie Willie Churchill II, was murdered in March 1992 while visiting a home on Kourt Drive off River Road. He was 40. His killer, Robert Norman Shepard of Culp Creek, surrendered to the Eugene SWAT team after a 5 1/2-hour standoff with Lane County sheriff's deputies. The younger Churchill was 17 at the time. |
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