Firearms Owners Against Crime
Institute for Legal, Legislative and Educational Action
Institute for Legal, Legislative and Educational Action
WOLF CREEK, Ore. — Oregon State Police says that a deadly shooting near the Josephine County community of Wolf Creek was a case of self-defense.
Shortly after noon on Thursday, the Wolf Creek Rural Fire Protection District posted on Facebook — saying that law enforcement was responding to a "shots fired" report in the 2700-block of Speaker Road.
"Man dead at the scene. Please avoid this area with an alternate route for your destination," the fire agency said.
The Josephine County Sheriff's Office later confirmed that deputies found an adult man dead at the scene. The original call came in just before 11 a.m. on Thursday.
The Sheriff's Office requested that the Oregon State Police crime lab take over the investigation.
OSP said that detectives interviewed the property owner, finding that he had called 911 to report that he'd confronted a man in a vehicle who had been shooting a gun on his property.
"The man in the vehicle shot at the property owner who then returned fire," OSP said in a brief statement on Friday. "The male in the vehicle was pronounced deceased."
The state police agency said it worked with the Josephine County District Attorney's office and determined this to be a case of self-defense. No criminal charges are expected in the case.
On Friday afternoon, Oregon State Police identified the man killed as 29-year-old Preston Sweaney. Based on court records, Sweaney did not have an extensive criminal history in Oregon. His last arrest was in 2013, when was charged and convicted of slicing his brother with a samurai sword during an argument in Grants Pass.