No charges in fatal shooting in Hugo - News - MailTribune.com - Medford, OR

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No charges in fatal shooting in Hugo Friday Sep 2, 2016 at 3:54 PM Sep 2, 2016 at 3:54 PM By Chris Bristol of the Daily Courier No charges will be filed in connection with the shooting death of a Hugo man at the hands of his brother earlier this year, the Josephine County District Attorney's Office announced Thursday. Chief Deputy District Attorney Lisa Turner said in a news release that it is the state's burden to prove Wayne Hansen was not defending himself when he shot and killed his brother, Douglas Hansen, at a home on Potts Way. "Based on the totality of the circumstances ... the State does not believe it could disprove self-defense beyond a reasonable doubt," Turner said. Thursday's announcement was the first official word on the shooting, which occurred March 21. For several days after the shooting, authorities refused to even confirm rumors on social media that there had been a shooting. According to Turner, the case began after Wayne Hansen called 911 to report he had shot his brother in the chest. Law enforcement arriving at the scene discovered Doug Hansen dead in the residence, and in followup interviews Wayne Hansen told detectives with the Oregon State Police that his brother had been trying to strangle him and that he fired in self-defense. It was not clear from the news release whether there were any witnesses, but Turner did say that detectives learned Doug Hansen had been making suicidal statements to other family members in the time period leading up to his death. Immediately after the shooting, Wayne Hansen was taken to the hospital for chest pains. Although no charges will be filed in this case, Turner stressed that use of deadly force "is a case-by-case, fact-specific inquiry in determining if such actions are justified under the law."