On 03/19/2022 at approximately 10:36 AM, Lincoln County Sheriff’s Office Deputies were dispatched to The City of Siletz after multiple callers reported a black Chevrolet Tahoe driving recklessly through town, speeding, driving into oncoming traffic, and doing “cookies” in parking lots and in the middle of N Gaither Street. Minutes later, while deputies were still enroute to the driving complaint call, over a dozen callers in the areas of the Siletz Mobile Home Park, and the Siletz Tribal Upper Housing Apartments reported a man associated with a black Chevrolet Tahoe was seen shooting a rifle up in the air at both locations.
For those unfamiliar with the area, the addresses are situated on opposite ends of the city, with 724 SW Ferry Avenue on the SW corner of town, and 218 Judd Road on the NE corner of town. Lincoln County Sheriff’s Deputies, Oregon State Police Troopers, and Toledo Police Department Officers responded to Siletz, as new information was being called in to dispatch by witnesses. One witness was able to provide dispatch with the license plate number of the vehicle the shooter was driving, which matched the license plate one caller of the driving complaint provided.
Deputies ultimately located the shooter’s vehicle occupied in the parking lot of 218 Judd Road, and performed a high-risk stop on the suspect, later identified as 36-year-old Roman McCarty. He was compliant with deputy’s orders and was taken into custody without incident. A search of McCarty’s vehicle yielded the involved rifle, a Wyndham AR-15, and several spent shell casings inside, along with 5 live rounds still loaded in the firearm; 1 in the chamber and 4 in the magazine. Deputies determined that McCarty was the sole suspect in both incidents, and there were no outstanding suspects.
Law enforcement officers including Lincoln County Sheriff's Deputies, Oregon State Police, and Toledo Police Officers spent several hours in Siletz at both crime scenes canvassing for evidence and gathering witness statements. Deputies found a total of (15) .556 shell casings between both scenes; (9) at 218 Judd Road, and (6) on SW Ferry Avenue) and spoke to multiple eyewitnesses who saw the suspect actively shooting the rifle. McCarty was lodged at the Lincoln County Jail for 15 counts of Unlawful use of a Weapon, two counts of Disorderly Conduct II, Menacing, Criminal Trespass with a Firearm, Reckless Driving, Recklessly Endangering Another Person. McCarty’s bail totaled $830,000.00.
Thankfully, nobody was injured during this incident including citizens, law enforcement, and the suspect himself. The Lincoln County Sheriff’s Office would like to thank the citizens of Siletz for being vigilant and quick to call 9-1-1. Those who have video evidence of the shooting incident(s) and/or the reckless driving incident who have yet to be contacted by a deputy are encouraged to do so by calling 541-265-0777 and referencing case # 22S-00379.
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