Ore. Deputies Shoot Man Threatening Them with a Hatchet

GARIBALDI, Ore. --

A man was shot to death Friday after he threatened two deputies with a hatchet, said the Tillamook County sheriff.

Deputies were called to a disturbance at a home on Sixth Street off Highway 101 in Garibaldi just after 1 p.m.

Two deputies found a white man in his 60s breaking into a mobile home, said Tillamook County Sheriff Todd Anderson.

The man was holding a hatchet and threatened the deputies, Anderson said.

The deputies fired shots, said Tillamook Police Chief Terry Wright, but it is not known how many shots were fired or whether both deputies opened fire. The man was pronounced dead at the scene.

The deputies involved are on paid administrative leave, the sheriff said, which is common in officer-involved shootings.

Authorities said Sixth Street will be closed from Acacia to Birch avenues while Oregon State Police, the Tillamook County Sheriff's Office and Tillamook Police Department investigate.

The man has not been identified. Investigators are trying to determine who he is by using his fingerprints.

Jim Zerfing lives nearby and said he witnessed the shooting. He said the suspect was shot while standing outside, next to the mobile home.

"I heard two gunshots, yeah," Zerfing said. "I couldn't see the person because there was a bush in the way, but a few seconds later he yelled to stop and 'Get down' a couple times. Words to that effect. And then he shot a couple of times and that was basically it."

Mark Sybouts, a spokesman for the Neah-Kah-Nie School District, said Garibaldi Grade School entered a modified lockdown because of the shooting. The school is located near the scene of the shooting, but Sybouts said no students or staff members were in danger at any time.

Lori Kamerer works at Garibaldi Grade School and said her son heard the gunshots.

"Our oldest son was home and I called to check on him and he said he heard a couple of shots. And then he looked around and he saw some activity and actually saw the stretcher coming out after the ambulance arrived," she said.

Copyright 2009 by KPTV.com. All rights reserved.This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.