Law enforcement finish their investigation of a shooting, Thursday, Aug. 28, 2014 at a Chevron station on Highway 34 west of Interstate 5. An Oregon woman was shot by police after pointing a replica handgun at them following a car chase, authorities said.
Law enforcement finish their investigation of a shooting, Thursday, Aug. 28, 2014 at a Chevron station on Highway 34 west of Interstate 5. An Oregon woman was shot by police after pointing a replica handgun at them following a car chase, authorities said.
PORTLAND, Ore. (AP) — An Oregon woman was shot by police Thursday after pointing a replica handgun at them following a car chase, authorities said.
Amanda Lynn Gatewood, 44, of Springfield was listed in critical condition at a Corvallis hospital.
Albany police Capt. Eric Carter said Gatewood was driving a stolen 2000 Suzuki Vitara when she led police on a chase along Interstate 5 from Springfield toward Albany, a roughly 35-mile trip. The Oregon State Police and Linn County Sheriff's Office joined the pursuit during which spike strips were deployed.
Gatewood left the freeway at about 1:30 a.m. and stopped at a Chevron gas station 4 miles south of Albany.
Gatewood got out of the car and ran toward the entrance of the store. She pointed what appeared to be a handgun at police, and was shot by an officer from the Springfield Police Department, Carter said.
Carter said the gun turned out to be a "highly realistic replica" of a semi-automatic handgun.
He declined to say how many rounds the officer fired and in which part of the body Gatewood was struck. The officer, whose name has not been released, was placed on paid administrative leave during the investigation. The Albany Police Department will lead the investigation.
Gatewood filed for bankruptcy last year while living in the Central Oregon city of Sisters. Documents show she owed thousands of dollars to medical groups, the Internal Revenue Service and others. She worked seasonally at Hoodoo Ski Resort, had no money in the bank and her major asset was a 2004 Chevy Silverado.
She was supposed to relinquish the Silverado by Jan. 1, but failed turn it over or file a written objection, according to court records. Her bankruptcy attorney, Andrew Harris of Bend, said Thursday that Gatewood "sort of disappeared" and he heard that she moved to either Portland or Springfield.
On June 26, Gatewood was stopped in Lane County, which includes Springfield, for making an unlawful turn, failing to display a license plate and driving while uninsured, records show.
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