Document text
52 °F Forecast | Road Cams Monday, April 5, 2004 Today's News | Classifieds | Autos | Homes | Jobs | Tempo | Health | Community | Home Delivery SECTIONS Home Page Local News Sports Business Obituaries Life Opinion - Politics AP News Weather Classified Archives Site Map EXTRA Newspaper in Education Personals Movie Times TV Times E The People CLASSIFIEDS Find a Car Find a Home Find a Job Find a Rental Place an ad eSouthernOregon Automotive Communities Entertainment Publications Recreation Calendar CUSTOMER SERVICE Frequent Questions Advertising Information Home Delivery Employment Contact Us Media Kit Network Affiliate Email Story to a Friend March 28, 2004 Oregon State Police Capt. Eric Rodriguez, left, and Jackson County sheriff�s Capt. Joe Puckett look at a mug shot taken of Jeremiah Paul Scanlon from a previous arrest in Nevada. It was Scanlon who shot OSP trooper Nick Neville Friday night. Mail Tribune / Roy Musitelli Man who shot officer was wanted OSP trooper remains in intensive care after a shootout that left a bank robbery suspect dead By ANITA BURKE Mail Tribune A man who died in an exchange of gunfire with an Oregon State Police trooper Friday night was wanted in connection with two bank robberies this month in Nevada. The dead man, Jeremiah Paul Scanlon, 47, of Las Vegas, had told friends that he wouldn’t go back to prison and that he had "cop-killer" bullets he was willing to use, Jackson County sheriff’s Capt. Joe Puckett said at a press conference Saturday afternoon. The Oregon State Police trooper he shot, Nick Neville, 33, was in intensive care at Rogue Valley Medical Center Saturday and was doing well, OSP Capt. Eric Rodriguez said. Neville and his wife both grew up in the Rogue Valley and his family was with him at the hospital, Rodriguez said. Jackson County’s multi-agency major assault and death investigation team is investigating the shootings that happened Friday night at Valley of the Rogue State Park along Interstate 5. Neville, who has worked as a trooper since 1999 and been assigned to the Central Point office for 11 months, was on regular patrol in the park, Rodriguez said. Advertisement He was parked near the boat ramp about 8:40 p.m. when a truck went past him, then turned around and stopped as it approached again, Rodriguez said. Neville got out to talk to the driver. The driver, Scanlon, asked for directions, although investigators didn’t disclose where he wanted to go. When Neville asked to see identification, Scanlon pulled out a snub-nosed .38-caliber revolver and shot at Neville, Puckett said. Neville returned fire and the man ran away. Investigators said they didn’t know yet how many shots the two fired. The shots were fired at a "fairly close range," but the exact distance hadn’t yet been determined, Puckett said. Neville was hit in the upper right chest. Initial reports said the bullet struck him above his bulletproof vest, but investigators plan to examine the vest. After Neville reported he had been shot, officers from around the valley sped to the scene. Rogue River Rural Fire District crews rushed in to treat the injured trooper and take him to the hospital, while officers searched for the gunman, Rodriguez said. A police dog found Scanlon collapsed dead about 35 yards from the vehicles, Puckett said. An autopsy Saturday determined the cause of death was a single shot from a .40-caliber weapon consistent with the Glock troopers carry. The shot entered the right side of his torso and caused severe internal injuries, Puckett said. Puckett said the Federal Bureau of Investigation had issued a warrant for Scanlon charging him in an armed bank robbery March 15 in Las Vegas, Nev. He also was a suspect in a March 19 bank robbery in Reno, Nev. Investigators were still cataloging Scanlon’s possessions Saturday and no information was available on whether money from the robberies had been recovered. Puckett said Scanlon’s roommates in Las Vegas told investigators that he planned to flee north after the robberies in Nevada. The gun Scanlon used Friday had been reported stolen in Las Vegas, as had the license plates on the truck he drove. Investigators still are working to determine whether the truck was stolen, Puckett said. Preliminary results of the ongoing investigation indicate Neville’s response in the incident was appropriate, authorities said. "Troopers can use force to defend themselves from deadly force," Rodriguez said. "He used good judgment and his training." The quick escalation from routine conversation to violence created "a very difficult situation," Puckett said. However, Neville appears to have reacted as trained. Rodriguez said the case will be presented to a grand jury, standard practice when an officer fires a shot. State police will review the incident to make sure the trooper conformed to the agency’s procedures and to check that the procedures work, he said. "This is the everyday work of officers on the road," Rodriguez said. "They are out by themselves. We’re always concerned about having adequate officers, always concerned about back-up." He thanked all the responding agencies that came to the park, were working on the investigation and had offered good wishes to Neville, his family and colleagues. Reach reporter Anita Burke at 776-4459, or e-mail [email protected] . Reporter Meg Landers contributed to this report. Last local OSP officer shot was in 1971 The last reported shooting of an Oregon State Police trooper in the Rogue Valley happened in December 1971. Cpl. Dale Clough was shot in the abdomen while assisting another trooper with a traffic stop on Highway 99 north of Central Point. An intoxicated driver pulled out a .22-caliber pistol and when Clough tried to take it away, the pistol went off. The man and the two officers exchanged several shots before the man surrendered with a bullet wound in his foot. Clough recovered after surgery. Officers at other agencies were injured in shootings in the ’80s and ’90s. In December 1999, Medford police officer Scott Clauson was shot in the leg when responding to a report of an armed man forcing his way into a west Medford home. In December 1989, Jackson County sheriff’s deputy Rich Rullamas was wounded during a standoff and gun battle with a robbery suspect holed up at an Ashland bed-and-breakfast inn. This is the seventh time since April 1995 that an officer has shot and killed a person in the line of duty in Jackson County, according to the Mail Tribune archives. Mail Tribune Home Local News | Sports | Business | Obituaries | Life Opinion - Politics | AP News | Archives | Site Map E Southern Oregon | Classified Copyright © 1997-2004 Mail Tribune. All rights reserved. Privacy Policy | Terms & Conditions Website Feedback 3 WEEKS FREE! ADVERTISERS A D V E R T I S E R S RESOURCES Oregon Road Conditions & Cams SPECIAL SECTIONS Auto Finder Job Finder Home Finder Joy Magazine Homelife Magazine Tempo Readers' Choice Real Estate Showcase Since We Asked Food for Thought Wellness Connection Outdoor Journal Moving to Southern Oregon? Volunteer Opportunities Prime Times