1 victim of deer camp shooting was foster father
Oct 4, 2013, 4:29 PM
GRANTS PASS, Ore. (AP) – Authorities say one of the men shot and killed in a deer-hunting camp in northeastern Oregon was the foster father of the 14-year-old boy identified as the shooter.
Grant County Sheriff Glenn Palmer said Friday that two guns were involved _ a hunting rifle and a revolver _ and the shootings occurred about the same time, with one victim shot inside the cabin and one outside.
The victims were identified as 43-year-old Michael Piete, the foster father, and 64-yeart-old Kenneth C. Gilliland, both of Baker City. The name of the teen was withheld by authorities because he is a juvenile.
Authorities say after the shootings another person at the deer camp held the boy at gunpoint while police were notified. The boy apparently accidentally shot himself in the leg.
Palmer would not say whether a motive had been established.
THIS IS A BREAKING NEWS UPDATE. Check back soon for further information. AP’s earlier story is below.
A deer hunting trip in northeastern Oregon turned into a tragedy when a 14-year-old boy killed two others at the cabin where the group was staying, authorities said. The boy then accidentally shot and wounded himself.
There were many unanswered questions surrounding the shooting at the remote cabin in the Blue Mountains.
Authorities on Thursday would not say whether they think the shooting of the two men was an accident or intentional, or whether the shooting occurred inside or outside the cabin. It was also unclear whether the boy was related to others in the hunting party.
Police were dispatched to the remote location before 1 a.m. Thursday and “took charge of the crime scene” and the boy, Grant County Sheriff Glenn Palmer said in a statement.
The teenager had fled after shooting the men but then apparently accidentally shot himself in the leg and returned to the cabin for help, Palmer said. Another member of the group held the boy at gunpoint, forced him to get on the floor, then taped him to a chair.
The boy and the two victims _ ages 43 and 64 _ were from the Baker City area, about 25 miles east of Granite, the sheriff’s office said. Their names were not released.
Authorities said the boy was taken by ambulance to a hospital in Baker City, then flown to St. Alphonsus Hospital in Boise, Idaho. Linda Payne Smith, vice president of marketing and communications at the hospital, said Thursday evening she could not comment on whether the boy was still at the hospital, or what his condition was.
Sheriff Palmer declined to answer questions about a possible motive. He said it likely would be Friday morning before any names are released, after the victims’ families have been notified.
Granite was established after the discovery of gold in 1862 and had only 38 residents with a median age of 62 when the 2010 census was taken. It has a motel and a combination restaurant/general store for businesses.
The cabin on the edge of the Umatilla National Forest is southwest of Granite on private land off a U.S. Forest Service road, authorities said.
Hunting has long been a pastime in the area.
In the 1970s and 1980s, sawmills would close for the first week of deer season and kids would skip school so families could go to hunting camp, said Mike Wickert, owner of Discount Firearms in Baker City. Now the sawmills are gone and deer are less plentiful.
(Copyright 2013 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.)
