Grants Pass woman identified in fatal officer-involved shooting
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VICKIE ALDOUS / Daily Courier
Police close off the Grants Pass Parkway bridge in the aftermath of Saturday's shooting.

A woman identified as Alicia Shelton, 43, of Grants Pass was shot and killed by police on the Grants Pass Parkway bridge on Saturday after firing handguns in the area and pointing a gun at police at least twice, according to Oregon State Police and video of the incident.

At about 12:30 p.m., the Grants Pass Police Department responded to multiple 9-1-1 calls reporting a woman in the roadway at the intersection of the Grants Pass Parkway and M Street firing handguns, OSP said.

Officers arrived on scene and began giving verbal commands to the woman to drop a gun, which were ignored, OSP said.

Officers fired their department-issued guns and struck the woman, according to OSP.

She was transported to Asante Three Rivers Medical Center where she was identified and pronounced deceased, OSP said.

There were no other reported injuries.

The Josephine County Major Crimes Team was activated, and OSP was tasked with leading the investigation. The OSP Crime Lab responded and processed the scene. The investigation is ongoing, OSP said.

As per standard protocol, the involved officers will be placed on paid leave during the investigation. Future updates will be provided by the Josephine County District Attorney’s Office, OSP said.

The Grants Pass Parkway bridge was closed Saturday afternoon and into the evening, with traffic detoured around the area. The area around the bridge was reopened by 6:20 p.m., according to the Oregon Department of Transportation.

A video posted online by a witness showed a woman on the bridge pointing a gun at police at least twice, then getting shot.

Although the bridge itself was closed off to the public by police at the time of the shooting, there was heavy traffic in the area, including vehicles driving behind police as the woman pointed the gun at police.

The video showed a woman wearing a pink top on the Parkway bridge pointing a gun and walking toward officers. At least four patrol vehicles can be seen in the video blocking off the bridge.

The woman lowered the gun, turned her back on police and walked away. But she turned back toward them, raised her arms out to the side, then began walking toward police again with the gun lowered.

She raised the gun again toward police. They took cover behind patrol vehicles, but parts of their bodies were still exposed, including their legs and a police officer’s head. People driving by in the background and a man directing traffic away from the scene were also in her potential line of fire.

The person taking the video ducked, and the woman was no longer visible in the frame. A shot rang out.

When the person raised up to resume taking the video, the woman was lying on her back on the bridge roadway with a gun near her feet. She raised her head briefly.

Police began jogging toward the woman, with a patrol vehicle advancing with them to help provide cover. They reached the woman, and an officer nudged the gun away from her with his foot.

Police then began providing medical aid, including CPR, and an ambulance, fire engine and Grants Pass Fire Rescue pickup advanced into the video frame.

The video ended as first responders continued to perform CPR.