On Wednesday, September 4th, 2024, at approximately 11:30 Lincoln City Police Officers contacted two vehicles, including a retired yellow school bus that had been retrofitted as a motor home, regarding illegal parking blocking a fire hydrant in the area of NW Oar Place near NW 22nd Street in Lincoln City. During the investigation, a subject in the bus fired at least three gunshots from inside the bus at Lincoln City Police Officers. Officers did not return fire into the bus. The male then fled the scene in the bus, eventually stopping in the parking lot of the Sea Gypsy Motel.
Officers secured the area around the bus and learned from witnesses that a male subject fled from the bus on foot and ran to the beach prior to officers’ arrival. Lincoln City Police requested assistance from area law enforcement agencies and multiple agencies responded, including Oregon State Police, Lincoln County Sheriff’s Office, Newport Police, and Grand Ronde Tribal Police. LCPD K9 Nix and the Oregon State Police K9 team conducted a search of the area. Attempts to communicate with anyone who may still have been in the bus were unsuccessful, and Lincoln County SERT had to port several of the bus’s windows in order to ensure the bus was unoccupied.
An OSP SWAT-K9 tracked the suspect to a residence at 1905 NW Jetty Avenue. Occupants exited the residence and knew the suspect but denied seeing him that day. It was later confirmed the male suspect was within the residence and a search warrant was granted. Further information was developed that led investigators to believe the suspect, identified as 38-year-old Walter O. Anderson of Nevada, was still inside the residence and a search warrant was granted.
Because of the possible dangers involved, the OSP SWAT team was requested and responded to the scene. Over the course of several hours, OSP SWAT negotiators made numerous attempts to communicate with Anderson, as well as issuing verbal commands through the public address system, in an attempt to resolve the situation peacefully and without injury. The suspect made numerous threatening statements and at 2:45 a.m. the suspect began to shoot through windows from within the residence.
For unknown reasons, a fire started within the residence. As the fire spread the suspect exited an upstairs window to the roof carrying a rifle. He refused commands to drop the rifle. Shots were fired and the suspect fell from the roof to the ground below. OSP SWAT personnel secured the suspect’s firearm and pulled him away from the burning residence to render medical aid. He was pronounced deceased by medical personnel at the scene.
Four OSP SWAT members were determined to have fired rounds during the incident.
The Lincoln County Major Crimes Team was activated in accordance with the Lincoln County Deadly Force Plan. The Lincoln County Sheriff’s Office is assuming the lead investigator role and is being assisted by detectives from the Lincoln City Police Department, Newport Police Department, and Oregon State Police Criminal Investigations Division.
The Lincoln City Police Department acknowledges that these events caused a significant disruption to area businesses, community members, and visiting citizens, and we would like to express our gratitude to everyone for their patience and understanding while these events unfolded. In addition, LCPD thanked the citizens who provided the responding Officers with tips and information that helped attempt to locate the suspect. LCPD also expressed appreciation to the Oregon State Police, Lincoln County Sheriff’s Office, Newport Police Department, Grand Ronde Tribal Police, Lincoln County District Attorney’s Office, and North Lincoln Fire & Rescue for their quick response and all of their assistance with this incident.
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