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77 °F Forecast | Road Cams Wednesday, June 2, 2004 Today's News | Classifieds | Autos | Homes | Jobs | Tempo | Health | Community | Home Delivery SECTIONS Home Page Local News Sports Business Obituaries Life Opinion - Politics Tempo AP News Weather Classified Archives Site Map SPECIAL SECTIONS Since We Asked Outdoor Journal Prime Times Wellness Connection Readers' Choice Real Estate Showcase Joy Magazine Homelife Magazine Wedding Guide Rogue Valley's Finest EXTRA Newspaper in Education Personals Movie Times TV Times E The People MARKETPLACE Find a Car Find a Home Find a Job Classifieds 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 Oregon Road Conditions & Cams Email Story to a Friend April 16, 2004 OSP shooting justified, jury rules Trooper doesn’t remember firing the shot that killed the man who had shot him By ANITA BURKE Mail Tribune Oregon State Police trooper Nick Neville was justified in shooting a man who threatened to kill him at Valley of the Rogue State Park on March 26, a grand jury determined Thursday. A Jackson County grand jury deliberated five minutes after hearing roughly two and a half hours of testimony about a shoot-out at the park’s boat ramp that injured Neville and left his assailant, Jeremiah Paul Scanlon, 48, of Las Vegas, dead. Chief Deputy District Attorney Beth Heckert released details of the hearing in a statement Thursday afternoon. Grand jury proceedings are closed to the public and media. Neville, who has a .38- caliber bullet lodged under his shoulder blade, had a doctor’s appointment Thursday and was preparing for a trip, so he wasn’t available for comment after testifying. On the rainy Friday of the shooting, Neville, 33, was on patrol at the state park at about 8:15 p.m. After walking through the rest area and talking to several people, he sat in his patrol car writing in a notebook. He saw a pickup drive past his parked car toward the river, then try to turn around and head back up the ramp access road. Neville pulled his car to face the truck. He and the truck’s driver, Scanlon, both got out. Advertisement Scanlon told Neville he was looking for restrooms, but his windshield wipers didn’t work and he was lost. Neville asked to see his identification, and Scanlon handed over a Nevada driver’s license. Then Neville asked to see the truck’s registration. Scanlon walked toward the driver’s side of the truck and Neville walked toward the passenger’s side. Neville heard feet shuffle and turned to see Scanlon approaching him with a gun pointed at him. Scanlon said he was going to kill Neville. About 10 feet from the trooper, he raised the snub-nosed .38’s barrel from Neville’s chest to his head. Repeatedly, Scanlon told the trooper he planned to kill him. Scanlon told Neville to drop his flashlight, turn his back and get on his knees. Neville refused. Scanlon said he wanted to handcuff the trooper. Neville again refused to turn his back on the armed man. Neville dropped to one knee and drew his gun. At the same time, Scanlon fired, hitting Neville in the neck above his bullet-proof vest. The shot knocked the trooper to his side. Neville testified that he doesn’t remember firing. A retired trooper and firearms trainer, William Lyons, of Bend, told the grand jury that officers often can’t remember specifics of returning fire, Heckert said. OSP forensic scientist Melissa Simons determined that one shot was fired from Neville’s Glock and one shot from Scanlon’s Smith & Wesson revolver. Neville dropped his gun as he fell. He radioed in that he had been shot about 8:40 p.m. He got a shotgun from his patrol car, took cover by a log and watched Scanlon flee up a hill. Paramedics rushed Neville to Rogue Valley Medical Center and officers from throughout the valley raced to search for the shooter. A Medford police dog found Scanlon dead on his back on a hilltop about 50 yards from the park’s boat ramp. An autopsy determined that he died of massive internal bleeding from a gunshot wound to the right side of his abdomen. Investigators also learned that Scanlon had absconded from a half-way house in Las Vegas. He was wanted for a March 15 bank robbery in Las Vegas and was a suspect in a Reno bank robbery March 19. Scanlon had been in and out of prison since 1979. Reach reporter Anita Burkeat 776-4485, or e-mail [email protected] 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 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? 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