An Oregon State Police trooper was justified in using lethal force in the shooting of a 42-year-old man during a traffic stop in Eugene on June 11, the Lane County district attorney announced Wednesday.
Video evidence pulled from a body camera showed the man pointed a gun at Oregon State Trooper Jonathan Padgett before being hit by a taser and shot at 11 times, DA Patty Perlow said.
“Based upon all available evidence, the use of force by Trooper Padgett was a lawful force in self-defense,” Perlow said.
Traffic stop
Padgett, operating out of the Springfield Area Command, was traveling eastbound on Beltline Highway and followed a maroon-colored Ford F-150 as it took the off-ramp to the River Avenue exit, according to a release from the DA’s office. He activated his overhead emergency lights and conducted a traffic stop on River Avenue at 4:25 p.m.
Once both vehicles were stopped, the driver of the truck, 42-year-old Timothy Wells, could be seen in the body camera video grabbing a pistol magazine from the driver’s door panel and began walking toward the rear end of the truck, according to the release. Padgett asked Wells what he was doing and why he was getting out of the vehicle, after which Wells ran between his truck and the patrol car toward the passenger side of the truck.
Padgett requested backup on his handheld radio as he followed Wells and approached him near the rear passenger side of the truck, presenting a taser, according to the release. As Padgett approached, Wells turned and presented a handgun in his right hand, near his waistline, and pointed it at Padgett.
In response, Padgett deployed both taser cartridges at Wells and stepped out of the direct line of fire from the handgun while simultaneously drawing his own firearm, according to the release.
Perlow said the taser was effective with both cartridge deployments, and Wells fell face-down on the ground near the front passenger side of the truck. Padgett then called police dispatchers and requested help. Once the taser stopped cycling, the release said Wells sat up facing Padgett, who began giving several verbal commands for Wells not to move or reach for the gun. At this time, Wells can be seen in video footage displaying two middle fingers at Padgett.
Wells was told to show both of his hands and get face down.
“The driver put both hands on the ground, looked behind him, and shifted his body backward on the ground away from Trooper Padgett and closer to the gun that was now directly behind him within reach,” Perlow said.
Padgett again told Wells not to reach for the gun.
In photo stills of Padgett’s body cam footage, Wells can then be seen reaching behind him for what appears to be a gun.
“The driver looked behind him at the ground, reached behind him and grabbed the gun very quickly and attempted to point the gun at Trooper Padgett again,” Perlow said.
Padgett fired his weapon once, but Wells attempted to point the firearm at Padgett again, according to the release.
“Trooper Padgett fired his weapon repeatedly until the driver no longer presented a threat,” said Perlow.
After the shooting
Evidence gathered by the Inter-Agency Deadly Force Investigative Team determined Padgett fired a total of 11 rounds from his 9mm duty weapon.
Following the shooting, Padgett advised dispatch that shots had been fired. He walked forward and cleared the front portion of the Ford truck for any potential threats and walked back to the rear passenger side, according to the release.
In a 10-second audio clip released by the District Attorney’s Office, Padgett can be heard on the radio saying, “keep medics coming.”
Once backup arrived, officers moved to detain and attempt life-saving measures on Wells, who was pronounced dead at the scene.
The investigation was led by Lane County Sheriff’s Sgt. Chad Rogers and detectives from Lane County Sheriff’s Office, the Eugene Police Department, the Springfield Police Department and the Florence Police Department.
An autopsy determined the gunshot wounds as the cause of death. A preliminary toxicology report showed the presence of methamphetamine, fentanyl and THC, according to the release.
Wells’ handgun had no serial number and was deemed untraceable by police.
The total time that elapsed from when Wells first stepped out of his truck to the last round fired by Padgett was 38 seconds, according to Perlow.
Haleigh Kochanski is a breaking news and public safety reporter for The Register-Guard. You may reach her at [email protected].
This article originally appeared on Register-Guard: DA: Oregon State Police trooper justified in fatal shooting
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