Jesus Armando Pena Jr., 18.

A Medford man wanted in connection with a weekend murder at a local laundromat “surrendered peacefully” Tuesday following an operation conducted by the Medford Police Department SWAT team, the department said in a news release.

Jesus Armando Pena Jr., 18, was found around 1:44 p.m., unarmed, at a residence in the 300 block of Savage Creek Road, between Rogue River and Grants Pass, the release said.

He is alleged to have fatally shot Justin William Keaton, 51, at Weldon’s Cleaners on Crater Lake Avenue on Saturday.

“We are really proud of the men and women of the Medford Police Department and their steadfast dedication to justice, especially in these high-level cases,” Medford police Lt. Geoff Kirkpatrick said in an interview. “They worked tirelessly for multiple days on end to try and bring this dangerous person into custody.”

Earlier in the day, the SWAT team attempted to arrest Pena at a residence in the 800 block of Pennsylvania Avenue in Medford, but he was not located, the release said. It was only after investigators continued to develop information that they were led to the Savage Creek Road residence.

Pena was expected to be interviewed at the police department’s headquarters before being transported to the Jackson County Jail, where he will be lodged on murder and related charges, the release said.

MPD originally responded at about 5:50 p.m. Saturday to a report of shots fired at Weldon’s Cleaners. Officers did not have a suspect name, description or whereabouts, and were unable to reach the victim’s next of kin, they said.

On Sunday, the department named Pena, an escapee from Oregon Youth Authority Camp Riverbend who has lived in the local area a short time, as a suspect.

The La Grande Observer reported Tuesday that Pena ran away Dec. 6 during a routine supervised outing at Eastern Oregon University. Youths were at the university for an open gym. Following his escape, OYA immediately notified law enforcement and a warrant was issued, the newspaper reported.

Pena was committed to OYA from Jackson County, according to the Observer.

Camp Riverbend, located on Highway 244 outside of La Grande, is one of OYA’s four step-down transitional facilities designed to prepare youths for their return to the community. Youths at these step-down facilities have made significant progress in their treatment and reformation plans. They have also met requirements to start transitioning back into the community. Youth in transition facilities are frequently out in the community for work and other opportunities.

MPD said search warrants were served at two locations Sunday as detectives attempted to find Pena and gather evidence, the release said. The department also asked the public for help in locating him.

The shooting is the second one reported at the laundromat in almost three years.

Lorenzo Laray Fisher, 48, of Medford, was initially charged with murder in the May 29, 2021, shooting of 45-year-old Robert Douglas Houze outside the dry cleaners. Last year, ahead of an expected jury trial, Fisher pleaded guilty to first-degree manslaughter and was sentenced to 15 years in prison.