At approximately 11:28am, this morning, 911 dispatchers received several calls from concerned citizens reporting two men possibly armed with the rifle, walking on Lancaster Drive NE in Salem.
Both were described as in their 20's, wearing hats and dark coats. One man appeared to be carrying a lever-action rifle under his coat.
Initial calls were received from employees at the Key Bank in the 4800 block of Lancaster Drive NE, but another caller reported seeing them in the parking lot of the Roth's Market, on nearby Portland Road, and a third caller reported them near Kale Farms on Portland Road.
Given the recent shootings at the Clackamas Town Center and the Sandy Hook Elementary School in Connecticut, citizens and law enforcement personnel are extremely sensitive to seeing possibly armed individuals in public areas.
Six Marion County Deputies, agents from the FBI, Salem Police Officers and several Oregon State Police Troopers converged on the area, and within minutes, an OSP Sergeant spotted the subjects near Kale Street NE. The man with the rifle saw the trooper and tossed the rifle into some nearby grass. Both were detained.
They were identified as 18 and 17 year old men from Salem. Deputies determined that the "rifle" was actually a pellet gun. They told the deputies that were taking the pellet gun to a friend's house.
Neither seemed to understand how their behavior could have evoked fear or concern in the minds of the citizens who called 911. Deputies explained the law enforcement responsibility to respond to the calls of concerned citizens and also explained the possible unintended consequences that could have stemmed from their actions.
The 17-year old is currently on juvenile supervision. His probation officer was contacted and apprised of the incident.
Portland Road, from Kale Street to Chemawa was closed to normal traffic for about 15-20 minutes while the incident was investigated.
Since neither subject had brandished the gun, or made any threats, they were released without formal charges.
Both were described as in their 20's, wearing hats and dark coats. One man appeared to be carrying a lever-action rifle under his coat.
Initial calls were received from employees at the Key Bank in the 4800 block of Lancaster Drive NE, but another caller reported seeing them in the parking lot of the Roth's Market, on nearby Portland Road, and a third caller reported them near Kale Farms on Portland Road.
Given the recent shootings at the Clackamas Town Center and the Sandy Hook Elementary School in Connecticut, citizens and law enforcement personnel are extremely sensitive to seeing possibly armed individuals in public areas.
Six Marion County Deputies, agents from the FBI, Salem Police Officers and several Oregon State Police Troopers converged on the area, and within minutes, an OSP Sergeant spotted the subjects near Kale Street NE. The man with the rifle saw the trooper and tossed the rifle into some nearby grass. Both were detained.
They were identified as 18 and 17 year old men from Salem. Deputies determined that the "rifle" was actually a pellet gun. They told the deputies that were taking the pellet gun to a friend's house.
Neither seemed to understand how their behavior could have evoked fear or concern in the minds of the citizens who called 911. Deputies explained the law enforcement responsibility to respond to the calls of concerned citizens and also explained the possible unintended consequences that could have stemmed from their actions.
The 17-year old is currently on juvenile supervision. His probation officer was contacted and apprised of the incident.
Portland Road, from Kale Street to Chemawa was closed to normal traffic for about 15-20 minutes while the incident was investigated.
Since neither subject had brandished the gun, or made any threats, they were released without formal charges.