HARPER, Oregon — Malheur County Prosecutor David M. Goldthorpе decided that the officer-involved shooting of Eli Reiter earlier this month was a justified use of deadly force.
54-year-old Eli Reiter was shot and killed on Saturday, June 7th, by a single deputy with the Malheur County Sheriff’s Department following a verbal confrontation with his neighbor that turned physical.
Malheur County Prosecutor David M. Goldthorpе described the shooting in a news release on Friday.
Click here to learn what the release stated:
In his report, he explained the officer was called to assist with a disturbance/assault complaint between neighbors.
"After speaking with two residents at their home, the deputy was shown a video recording that appeared to show Eli Reiter punching the male resident of this home in the face," Goldthorpe wrote in the news release.
"Upon arrival, the Deputy was immediately met with severe verbal hostility from Mr. Reiter, which soon escalated to physical threats and threats with a piece of lumber towards the Deputy," Goldthorpe wrote. "At this point, the Deputy told Mr. Reiter he was under arrest due to the threatened assault."
The news release goes on to describe a struggle between the deputy and Mr. Reiter where the two fought over the deputy's taser before Reiter eventually went to his trailer and returned with a "large storage box", and began digging through it.
The news release goes on to say, "The deputy responded by again placing Mr. Reiter at gunpoint and ordering him to step away from the box and not to reach into it, making it very clear that if Mr. Reiter continued to do so the Deputy would have to shoot."
Golthorpe says evidence shows yelling continued, then Mr. Reiter reached into the container, pulled out a hammer, and made a motion towards the deputy.
"The Deputy responded by firing five rounds from his firearm, striking Mr. Reiter. The Deputy radioed that shots had been fired, requesting backup, emergency medical, and standby for Life Flight."
According to the statement from the Malheur County Prosecutor, the deputy performed life-saving measures along with two other deputies who arrived later.
In his formal letter to the Malheur County Sheriff, Goldthorpe wrote, "After consideration and examination of all of the above-mentioned materials and evidence, my decision is that the officer-involved shooting of Eli Reiter was a justified use of deadly force."
