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76 °F Forecast | Road Cams Friday, May 13, 2005 Today's News | Shop Our Valley | Tempo | Health | Community | Home Delivery | Contact Us SECTIONS Home Page Local News Sports Business Obituaries Life Opinion Tempo AP News Weather Classified Archives Site Map SPECIAL SECTIONS Since We Asked Outdoor Journal Menu Guide How To Guide Health Readers' Choice Real Estate Showcase Real Estate Guide Joy Magazine Homelife Magazine Wedding Guide Passport to the Rogue Valley SHOP OUR VALLEY AutoFinder HomeFinder JobFinder Classified Place an ad TOP JOBS EXTRA Ashland News NIE Personals Movie Times TV Times E The People Volunteer Moving here? eSouthernOregon CUSTOMER SERVICE FAQ's Advertise with us Home Delivery Employment Contact Us Media Kit Oregon Road Conditions & Cams Email Story to a Friend May 12, 2005 The niece of Nicholas Rodriguez Vega is comforted by her husband, right, and a friend after Vega was shot and killed by police Wednesday. The relatives fled from the apartment after Vega became violent and threatening. Mail Tribune / Jim Craven Police kill man wielding a rifle Officers say man, 35, refused to drop his weapon By ANITA BURKE Mail Tribune Medford police shot and killed a man Wednesday morning who officers said had threatened members of his family at an apartment complex at Crater Lake Avenue and Brookhurst Street. Police said Nicholas Rodriguez Vega, 35, refused to put down a rifle when officers told him to. Police had responded to a dispute at Pine Terrace Townhouses, Apartment 44, 1850 Crater Lake Ave. Officers Greg Nichols, Brandon Bloomfield and Detective Tony Young determined Vega was "an imminent and increasing threat" and fired at him, Lt. Mike Moran said. Vega died at the scene. Vega’s niece called police at 10:09 a.m. to report that Vega, armed with a knife, was being violent and destructive in her apartment. She told police she, her husband and their 14-month-old child hid in an upstairs bedroom while Vega, who had been staying with the family because of marital problems, raged below, Moran said. "The family feared for their lives," said Medford Police Chief Eric Mellgren, who monitored the call and police response from his office before going to the scene. Advertisement The woman warned police that Vega had a rifle that she heard him load, Mellgren said. As officers arrived at the apartment complex, they had dispatchers call neighbors and evacuate them from nearby apartments. North Medford High School, which is down the street, was not locked down because the incident was contained and over quickly, Mellgren said. Police converged on the complex to prevent Vega from running and to rescue the frightened family in the apartment, Mellgren said. The couple and child escaped out the front door as Vega went toward the back door. He burst out the back door at 10:34 a.m. with the rifle in his hands. Three officers stationed there ordered him several times to put the weapon down, Moran said. When he refused, they fired. Witnesses reported hearing multiple gunshots, but police declined to disclose how many shots were fired until a grand jury hears the case. Andrew Carrick, who was on his porch in an apartment complex down the street, heard what sounded like shots from several guns. He said he had noticed a police car near the entrance of the neighboring complex, but thought nothing of it. "We see that all the time," he said. "I thought it was just another domestic dispute." After the shots indicated this incident was out of the ordinary, he and other neighbors rushed to the scene until police shooed them away. An ambulance was summoned, but Vega died shortly after being shot, Moran said. The Jackson County medical examiner will do an autopsy to determine how many times Vega was shot, as well as if he was under the influence of drugs or alcohol, Moran said. Vega had lived in Jackson County since 1988, Moran said. Court records, which show Vega had a slew of traffic violations but no felonie arrests, listed his most recent address as being on Ellendale Avenue. His wife got a restraining order against him on April 19 to protect her and three children, one of whom was his, records show. Jackson County’s multi-agency Major Assault and Death Investigation Unit is working on the investigation, led by Oregon State Police. Investigators interviewed dozens of people in the complex, which remained ringed with crime-scene tape throughout the day as media and curious passers-by gathered for details. Medford police also are conducting an internal investigation to determine if department policy was followed, Mellgren said. The three officers who fired are on administrative leave and will receive mandatory counseling, Moran said. This is the sixth time since April 1995 that a Medford police officer has shot and killed a person in the line of duty, Moran said. It is the eighth fatal shooting in Jackson County by a law enforcement agency during that period, according to the Mail Tribune archives. Reach reporter Anita Burke at 776-4485, or e-mail [email protected] . Mail Tribune Home | Local News | Sports | Business | Obituaries | Life | Opinion AP News | Archives | Site Map | Community | Classified Copyright © 1997-2005 Mail Tribune, Inc. All rights reserved. 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