William Kyle Triplett was arrested May 7 in connection to an afternoon shooting at Medford’s Hawthorne Park. KOBI pool photo.

A 38-year-old Medford man arrested for a May 7 shooting near Hawthorne Park in Medford appeared in Jackson County Circuit Court Monday for a pretrial hearing and is expected to change a previous not guilty plea during a court hearing set for 1:30 p.m. Thursday.

William Kyle Triplett was indicted May 14 on charges of first-degree assault, unlawful use of a weapon and felon in possession of a firearm.

Triplett was arrested by Medford police following reports of an afternoon shooting near the Bear Creek Greenway in the area of 8th Street near the downtown park, according to court records.

A victim was discovered with a gunshot wound to the torso and was transported to a Medford hospital where he underwent surgery and was later airlifted to a Portland hospital for advanced medical care.

A witness on scene identified Triplett, who has extensive tattoos, including a tattoo of a gun on his face. A Medford police detective located Triplett within minutes of the shooting at nearby Tinseltown in the Medford Center.

According to court records, a witness was walking with Triplett when the witness’ boyfriend — the victim — approached the pair and tried to get the witness to leave with him.

Triplett produced a firearm, which he first struck the victim with, then shot him and fled the area, according to court records.

An additional witness at the park told police that Triplett approached him and told him police were looking for him. Triplett said he needed to trade his blood-soaked clothes, which were later recovered as evidence, records show.

Past court records reveal a handful of charges against Triplett, including first-degree theft in September 2022 for a “one-wheel electric board valued at $1,000 or more”; misdemeanor charges in March 2023 for discarding refuse within 100 yards of state waters; and misdemeanor unlawful possession of methamphetamine in January.

The Medford police investigation determined that Triplett and the victim, who has not been identified, were known to one another and had been involved in a verbal dispute, which escalated into a physical confrontation and the shooting.

Following Triplett’s court appearance on Monday, officials for the Jackson County District Attorney’s office said Triplett was expected to enter a plea of “guilty” or “no contest” on Thursday.

Reach reporter Buffy Pollock at 458-488-2029 or buffy.pollock@rv-times.com. Follow her on Twitter @orwritergal.