Photo taken July 4 at Hawthorne Park. Medford Police Department via Facebook

The suspect, identified as Salvador Sanchez, 55, remains hospitalized and has been indicted on multiple charges

An officer-involved shooting on the Fourth of July at Medford’s Hawthorne Park was justified, and the suspect who was injured and hospitalized has been indicted on multiple charges, the Jackson County District Attorney’s office announced Thursday afternoon.

After the shooting, the Jackson County Sheriff’s Office has handed the lead on the investigation, which is standard protocol for officer-involved shooting investigations, authorities said previously.

In a lengthy news release Thursday, the D.A.’s office said the grand jury determined that Medford Police Department Officer David Leal was justified in using deadly force against the suspect, identified as 55-year-old Salvador Sanchez, a Medford transient. The incident occurred on July 4 in Hawthorne Park at around 8 a.m.

Citing ORS 161.242, the Grand Jury found that Oregon law provides that a police officer may use deadly force against another person only when the officer reasonably believes the person poses an imminent threat of death or serious physical injury to the peace officer or another person, and the deadly force is necessary to defend the peace officer or the other person, the release said.

After receiving evidence and testimony, the Grand Jury on Thursday returned an indictment against Sanchez on charges of first-degree attempted assault, two counts of unlawful use of a weapon, resisting arrest and second-degree attempted escape, the D.A’s office said.

July 4 incident

Officer Ethan Sampson was on duty in Hawthorne Park when he observed Sanchez on Independence Day, and he recognized the suspect as someone who had a warrant for his arrest, according to details spelled out in the release. 

“Officer Sampson stopped his vehicle and contacted Mr. Sanchez. Mr. Sanchez denied numerous times that he had a warrant and tried to walk away, saying that he was not going to jail,” the D.A.’s office wrote. “During this interaction, Mr. Sanchez reached for something inside the reusable bag he had on his shoulder. Officer Sampson gave commands to remove his hand from the bag, and drew his firearm from his holster, holding it at a low ready position. 

“He did so because he did not know what Mr. Sanchez was reaching for, he could not see inside the bag, and because Mr. Sanchez was being uncooperative with him,” the release continued. “Mr. Sanchez then pulled a large 10-12” bladed knife from his bag.”

The D.A.’s office said Sampson was able to notify dispatch that the individual had a knife, and another Medford police officer, Leal, was nearby, heard the radio call and responded to assist.

“After Mr. Sanchez removed the knife from his bag, Officer Sampson raised his firearm and began giving him several commands to drop the knife, while also making attempts to back away from Mr. Sanchez. However, Mr. Sanchez continued to approach Officer Sampson aggressively with the knife in hand. During this time, Officer Sampson made multiple attempts to terminate the encounter and deescalate the situation, telling Mr. Sanchez to ‘walk off,’ and ‘walk away,’” the D.A.’s office wrote. 

“Officer Leal then arrived on scene as Mr. Sanchez was again approaching Officer Sampson with the knife. Officer Leal drew his firearm and began to give Mr. Sanchez commands to drop the knife,” the release said. “Officer Leal recognized Mr. Sanchez from a previous encounter only a few weeks prior where Mr. Sanchez was uncooperative and aggressive toward law enforcement. Officer Leal remembered that multiple taser deployments against Mr. Sanchez were initially ineffective at stopping him and he was able to continue to fight officers,” according to the D.A.’s office.

“Nevertheless, after his arrival on scene at this incident, Officer Leal tried to reach for his taser to attempt to utilize less-lethal force against Mr. Sanchez as he continued to refuse commands and be aggressive with the knife toward Officer Sampson. However, at that same moment, Mr. Sanchez’s focus suddenly shifted toward Officer Leal and Mr. Sanchez began quickly advancing at him with the knife. Officer Leal tried to move back for several paces, giving commands again for Mr. Sanchez to drop the knife,” the release said.

“When Mr. Sanchez refused to do so and continued to come aggressively toward him, Officer Leal fired three rounds in quick succession at Mr. Sanchez, believing that there was no longer time to safely attempt to utilize his taser, and believing that Mr. Sanchez posed an imminent threat of death or serious physical injury to him in that moment. Mr. Sanchez was hit once in the abdomen and immediately fell to the ground” the release said.

The D.A.’s office said officers Sampson and Leal and other arriving officers immediately rendered aid to Sanchez until Mercy Flights arrived to transport him to the hospital. Sanchez remains hospitalized in stable condition, according to the release.

Expert testimony and body camera footage

“In addition to the testimony of officers Leal and Sampson, the Grand Jury heard from a use of force expert, who testified about the danger a suspect with a knife poses to officers who are in close proximity and the speed in which a suspect can cover distance to successfully attack them, leaving an officer in that scenario with only a couple seconds to react to avoid serious injury or death,” the D.A.’s office wrote.

The release said the Grand Jury also viewed footage from the body-worn cameras of officers Sampson and Leal, as well as footage from the dash camera from Officer Leal’s patrol vehicle. 

The case was presented to the Grand Jury by District Attorney Patrick Green and Chief Deputy District Attorney Alyssa Claseman.

“The District Attorney’s Office would like to recognize and thank the Jackson County Sheriff’s Office for leading this investigation and the Oregon State Police in assisting and providing resources as needed to the investigation,” the release said.

Due to the pending nature of the criminal proceedings, no further evidence or information will be released at this time, according to the D.A.’s office.

Reach Rogue Valley Times Editor Troy Heie at troy.heie@rv-times.com.