Medford police say 34-year-old suspect and 36-year-old victim had been dealing with homelessness

A Jackson County man has been charged with second-degree murder and first-degree manslaughter after being accused of killing another man in the parking lot of the Lowe’s Home Improvement store along Crater Lake Highway in north Medford. 

Around 2 a.m. Friday, April 25, Medford Police Department officers were called to a report of a person in the Lowe’s parking lot suffering from life-threatening, traumatic injuries, a Wednesday news release said. 

The victim, 36-year-old Rory James Pomeroy, was treated at the scene and transported by Mercy Flights personnel to a local hospital. 

Officers and detectives began investigating the scene, identifying a potential suspect in the vicinity, according to the release.

The victim and suspect were believed to be experiencing homelessness and were staying in the area, though the suspect was interviewed and released due to a lack of sufficient evidence, police said.  

Later that day, Medford police were informed that Pomeroy died from his injuries and a forensic autopsy was conducted by the Jackson County Medical Examiner’s Office on Monday, the release said. 

The death was determined to be a homicide, and detectives recovered the suspected weapon used in a storm drain near the crime scene, according to police. 

Medford police arrested 34-year-old suspect Christopher Shane Boyce at a residence in the 5600 block of Upton Road in Central Point at 9:30 a.m. Wednesday.

Boyce was lodged in the Jackson County Jail, but jail records had not been updated as of Wednesday afternoon. 

The case will be referred to the Jackson County District Attorney’s Office for prosecution. 

The investigation remains active, police said, and anyone with information related to the incident is encouraged to contact the Medford Police Department and reference Case No. 25-6841.