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CLEAR Temp: 73 °F Wind: CLM at 0 mph Sunday, June 8, 2003 SECTIONS Home Page Local News Sports Business Obituaries Life Opinion - Politics AP News Weather Classified Archives Site Map EXTRA HomeLife Magazine W3 Magazine Jobs @ Mail Tribune Tempo A & E Oregon CarZone Wellness Connection Real Estate Newspaper in Education Prime Times Outdoor Journal Personals Movie Times TV Times E The People CLASSIFIEDS Find a Car Find a Home Find a Job Find Everything E SOUTHERN OREGON Automotive Communities Entertainment Publications Recreation Calendar ABOUT US FAQ What's New Advertise Home Delivery Classified Ad Contact Us Media Kit Email Story to a Friend June 5, 2003 Jury says shot firedby police was rational By ANITA BURKE Mail Tribune A Jackson County grand jury has concluded that Rogue River police officer Roger Bigham was justified shooting at a suspect’s pickup truck during a chase Friday. The grand jury got its first look at the shooting Tuesday when it reviewed the case against John Hall, a Rogue River man who led police on two chases last week before officers arrested him, Jackson County District Attorney Mark Huddleston said. Oregon State Police continue to investigate the situation surrounding the shot Bigham fired, Lt. Dan Durbin said. Friday evening Hall refused to yield for a traffic stop by a state trooper in Grants Pass and led police on a chase toward Rogue River. Rogue River and state police set a road block with a tire- damaging spike strip, but Hall maneuvered through it and struck a trooper’s hand, Durbin said. Bigham fired one shot. Advertisement Hall continued to flee, and later struck Bigham’s car and knocked the officer into a ditch and bruised him. Bigham had circled around the chase to try to block Hall on West Evans Creek Road. Hall slipped away from police Friday, but continued his run Saturday with a high-speed sprint on Interstate 5 before destroying his tires on a spike strip and careening into a woman sitting on her lawn at Hummingbird RV Ranch. Police arrested him at the RV park after he slashed his arm with a knife and tussled with officers, police reports said. Durbin said investigators want to determine whether Bigham fired the single shot at Hall’s red Toyota pickup accidentally, to disable the truck or to shoot the driver because he feared Hall threatened him or other officers. Investigators would judge the appropriateness of a shot fired to disable the vehicle, which is against Rogue River police department’s policy, Durbin said. A shot fired at the driver would fall under state law and would be reviewed by the district attorney, who typically presents the case to a grand jury, Durbin said. Huddleston said he told his deputy presenting the Hall case to the grand jury that if the jurors got enough information about the shooting they could make a decision on that aspect of the case as well as the charges facing Hall. After hearing testimony from Bigham and two troopers, the jurors decided the shot, directed at the truck’s tires, was justified, Huddleston said. Additional information could be presented to the grand jury later, he added. Durbin said state police investigators interviewed Bigham again Wednesday and plan to release a statement on the outcome of their investigation soon. Hall remains in the Jackson County Jail on charges of first- and second-degree assault, reckless driving, resisting arrest and two counts of attempting to elude police in a vehicle. The woman Hall struck, Dawn Aronson, has been released from Rogue Valley Medical Center, where she was treated for rib injuries and cuts. Reach reporter Anita Burke at 776-4459, or e-mail [email protected] Printer Friendly Version Email Story to a Friend Subscribe Archive: Click to Search Mail Tribune Home Local News | Sports | Business | Obituaries | Life Opinion - Politics | AP News | Archives | Site Map E Southern Oregon | Classified Copyright © 1997-2003 Mail Tribune. All rights reserved. Privacy Policy | Terms & Conditions Website Feedback A D V E R T I S E R S SPECIAL SECTIONS Rogue Valley Auto Finder Rogue Valley Job Finder --> Rogue Valley Home Finder Joy Magazine Homelife Magazine Tempo Real Estate Showcase Food for Thought Hike of the Week Wellness Connection Outdoor Journal Moving to Southern Oregon? Volunteer Openings Prime Times