FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
DATE: Tuesday, May 11, 2021
Officers respond to shooting incident in northeast Salem
Detectives working all available leads
Salem, Ore. — Just before midnight on Monday, May 10, 2021, Salem Police patrol officers responded to multiple calls of shots fired near the vicinity of Clay and Cypress Streets NE. Officers in the area also heard the shots and arrived to find a vehicle speeding away. A pursuit was initiated and ended near the 2800 block of Howell Prairie Road NE where the occupants drove into a field and fled on foot.
Salem Police received support from regional agencies, Marion County Sheriff’s Office, Keizer Police Department and Oregon State Police, as they assisted with establishing a perimeter and the search. A thorough search of the area for several hours did not result in locating the occupants of the involved vehicle.
Patrol officers working the original scene of the shooting determined several vehicles in the nearby gas station parking lot had been struck. Although the vehicles were occupied, none of the persons inside were struck by the gunfire. Unfortunately, five dogs in the back of one of the vehicles were hit by bullets. With the owner’s permission, officers took the adult dog and puppies immediately to an emergency veterinary clinic close by, but two of the dogs died.
Detectives are currently working all available leads, and no further information is available at this time. If you have any information regarding this incident, please call the Salem Police Department tips line at 588-8477.
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Salem, Ore. — Over the past several months, the Salem Police station has incurred almost weekly vandalism. During anti-police protests in front of the building, protesters have applied chalk, other substances, and signing to the sidewalks, planters, stairways, walls and portico of the building. At times, the protests have drawn counter demonstrators and in one instance, an armed confrontation occurred where a man was arrested for discharging a firearm.
The graffiti has done varying degrees of damage to the facility. Typically, City of Salem facilities crews have been able to wash off the graffiti, but recently the damage appears to be longer lasting if not permanent. One evening of damage required the construction company for the building to resurface and retexturize the cement steps. Removal of the graffiti has cost the City of Salem hundreds of dollars in staff time, with costs to the contractors being much higher.
Balancing the public’s right to the freedom of expression and gathering with unlawful actions is a priority for the department. Because of this, we have used discretion toward the minor damage to the building in the recent past. As this damage has become more costly and permanent, we are forced to set boundaries and limits as to where similar activities can occur on the property. If these limits are not respected, enforcement action may be taken.
Salem Revised Code 95.085 City property-Defacing or injuring, specifies one cannot deface or injure any public property or to remove any part of any tree, fence, gate, or building, or to place any sign, card, bill, mark or paint upon public property.
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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
DATE: May 5, 2021
Salem, Ore. — On the evening of May 3, 2021, the Salem Fire Department responded to Airport Self Storage at 2142 Turner RD SE for a large fire. The four-alarm fire burned for several hours and destroyed multiple storage units, causing over $1M in damage.
Detectives determined the fire was not accidental in nature and initiated an arson investigation. Through witness interviews, crime scene processing and area canvassing, Tristin Sillman, age 22 of Salem, was identified as a suspect in the fire. He was located at Cascades Gateway Park on May 4, 2021.
Sillman was detained and transported to the police department for follow-up with detectives. Based on the investigation detectives determined there was probable cause to arrest Sillman for the following crimes:
- Arson in the second degree – 25 counts
- Criminal mischief in the first degree – 25 counts
He will be arraigned today at the Marion County Circuit Court Annex at 2:30 p.m. All further inquiries should be sent to the Marion County District Attorney’s Office.
Salem, Ore. — Detective Matt Brassfield, assigned to the Salem Police Criminal Investigations Section (CIS), was recognized today by the National Computer Forensics Institute and the United States Secret Service for being one of the nation’s top 50 digital forensic examiners for two consecutive years.
Brassfield was presented two awards for his work in 2019 and 2020 as Top Forensic Examiner. The field of digital forensics involves the recovery and investigation of material found on digital devices. The meticulous work helps in the investigation and prosecution of property and persons crimes. The seasoned detective was ranked number 17 among examiners across the nation in 2019 and ranked 44th in 2020.
Brassfield joined the police department’s computer forensics lab in 2016 and shortly after became a certified computer forensics examiner through the International Association of Computer Investigative Specialists. He quickly demonstrated a keen aptitude for the technically complex work of forensic analysis.
Of the esteemed recognition, CIS Sergeant Kevin Hill had this to say, “Detective Brassfield has been instrumental in developing evidentiary data leading to the successful prosecution and closure of serious criminal cases, such as homicides, sexual assaults and child exploitation. We are grateful to the US Secret Service who provides the high level of training at no cost and to the benefit of our Salem community.”
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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
DATE: Wednesday, April 21, 2021
Salem, Ore. — On Friday, April 16, 2021, at approximately 8:30 p.m. Salem Fire and Police personnel were dispatched to a call of an injured pedestrian in the 4500 block of Commercial ST SE near the WinCo store.
When responders arrived, they located Galina Dvorskaya, age 61 of Salem, in the middle of the street with life-threatening injuries apparently from being struck by a vehicle. The involved driver of vehicle or vehicles were not at the scene of the collision.
Dvorskaya was transported to Salem Health where a few days later she eventually died from her injuries. An autopsy confirmed the injuries where consistent with being struck by a vehicle.
The Salem Police Traffic Team is conducting the follow-up investigation and asks for the public’s help in identifying the involved driver and vehicle. If you have any information regarding this incident, please call the Traffic Team at 503-588-6293.
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Salem, Ore. — Just after 9 p.m. on April 15, 2021, a group of approximately 20 protesters advocating for police abolishment gathered in front of the Salem Police station to chalk the sidewalks in front of the building.
While the protest was taking place a man, later identified as Larry McFarland, age 75 of Keizer, drove up to the sidewalk, stepped out of the vehicle armed with a shotgun and approached the group. He pointed the shotgun at the crowd and fired one round into the air. Fortunately, no one was injured.
As these protests have become a regular occurrence in recent weeks, officers were monitoring the protest from a distance, so as not to incite the demonstration further. When officers saw McFarland, they called for more units and yelled for him to drop the weapon. He refused, got into his truck and left the area. Responding officers located McFarland a few blocks north of the police station and conducted a high-risk traffic stop. He was taken into custody and returned to the police station where detectives had been called in to assist with the investigation.
McFarland was arrested and charged with the following:
- Unlawful use of a weapon with a firearm
- Menacing, two counts
McFarland was transported and lodged at the Marion County Correctional Facility.
McFarland is scheduled to be arraigned at the Marion County Circuit Court annex at 2:30pm. All inquiries are to be directed to the Marion County District Attorney’s Office. No further information will be released at this time.
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