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COURTS Medford police officers' shooting of mentally ill man justified, grand jury says Medford police justifed in shooting of mentally ill man March 17, grand jury says Comment By Thomas Moriarty Mail Tribune MailTribune.com By Thomas Moriarty Mail Tribune Posted Apr. 8, 2015 at 10:54 AM Updated Apr 8, 2015 at 9:04 PM By Thomas Moriarty Mail Tribune Posted Apr. 8, 2015 at 10:54 AM Updated Apr 8, 2015 at 9:04 PM » Social News A Jackson County grand jury Wednesday evening decided the shooting of an apparently mentally ill man March 17 by seven Medford police officers was justified. The grand jury spent 40 minutes deliberating after hearing six hours of testimony from 18 witnesses, including the officers involved, according to an eight-page report released to the media by District Attorney Beth Heckert. Officers had been communicating with Andrew Charles Shipley, who apparently was suffering a mental breakdown, by phone, text and announcements during a 19-hour standoff at his home at 360 Argyle Court before the shooting occurred. The officers testified they heard Shipley, 49, fire a shot inside the home at about 10:22 a.m., which investigators believe killed his girlfriend's dog. About three minutes later, Shipley partially raised the garage door, and while lying prone on the garage floor, aimed a hunting rifle at them and fired. Officers returned fire and killed him. The seven officers fired approximately 62 rounds in about six seconds, the investigation determined. The officers who shot and killed Shipley were identified as Medford Police Department Lt. Curtis Whipple, Detective Sgt. Ben Lytle, Sgt. Geoff Kirkpatrick, Detective Corey Schwab, and officers R.J. Josephson, James Swanson and Arturo Vega. Lytle, Kirkpatrick, Schwab and Josephson are members of the department's SWAT team, while Whipple and Swanson have both been on SWAT in the past, the report said. Whipple, a 19-year MPD veteran who commands its patrol division, also coordinates the department's crisis-intervention training program, which teaches law enforcement officers and other first responders how to deal with people experiencing mental health issues. Lytle, Schwab and Vega had all completed the CIT program, the report said. Speaking by phone Wednesday night, Heckert said that it didn't appear the officers involved in the shooting had enough contact with Shipley before the confrontation to employ any CIT-based skills. "(Shipley) was basically communicating by text with the negotiator," she said. According to Heckert's report, an autopsy showed that five to seven .40-caliber handgun shots and seven to 12 rifle rounds struck Shipley's body. The seven officers were placed on paid administrative leave, which is protocol in officer-involved shootings. Before the shooting, officers had responded to the home multiple times on March 15 for domestic disturbance calls related to what police believe was Shipley's declining mental state and attempts by a girlfriend to evict him from the home and get him some help. Shipley's girlfriend testified that he had been smoking marijuana daily and had grown increasingly paranoid since moving in with her, prompting her to call his sister for help. Shipley's sister, who had flown to Medford from the East Coast the morning of March 16, testified that her brother believed the CIA was trying to invade his home and at one point handed her a gun and told her to "shoot anything that comes through the door." He told her that he was going to have to kill his dog if his home was invaded, she testified. When Shipley told his sister that he was contemplating killing his neighbor, she fled the house and called 911. A police negotiator was able to briefly talk with Shipley over the phone, but Shipley soon hung up on the detective, Heckert's report said, saying in text messages to police that he didn't need any help and wanted to stay in the house. Officers evacuated nearby homes and brought in members of the SWAT team, along with the department's Bearcat armored vehicle and a SWAT command van. A mental health worker from Jackson County Mental Health was also called to the scene, and police Chief Tim George has said everything seemed to be proceeding smoothly until the final few minutes. The seven officers involved in the shooting had been gathered near the Bearcat in front of the garage when Shipley began to raise the door. He never made any threats to police during phone calls or text messages, the report said. Police used a robot to examine Shipley's body before a SWAT medic entered the garage and confirmed he was dead. Officers discovered a dog leash had been tied to the rails of the garage door, preventing it from opening more than one or two feet. Shipley was armed with a vintage bolt-action French military rifle and a .45-caliber Hi-Point pistol, the report said. Police also found a single-shot .410 shotgun nearby, which Shipley is believed to have used to kill his girlfriend's dog. His own dog was later found unharmed in a back bedroom, the report said. A family friend of Shipley's girlfriend has said he wished police had acted sooner, potentially preventing the death. George has said officers on scene did everything they could to try and de-escalate the situation. Reporter Ryan Pfeil contributed to this story. Reach reporter Thomas Moriarty at 541-776-4471 or by email at [email protected] . Follow him at @ThomasDMoriarty . By Thomas Moriarty Mail Tribune MailTribune.com By Thomas Moriarty Mail Tribune Posted Apr. 8, 2015 at 10:54 AM Updated Apr 8, 2015 at 9:04 PM » Comment or view comments Reader Reaction » STAY INFORMED Email NewsLetter Sign Up Today Sign up for our newsletter and have the top headlines from your community delivered right to your inbox. Southern Oregon Directory Featured Businesses Loading... 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