North Bend man in custody after firing gun in Silver Creek

Published 7:03 pm Monday, July 20, 2015

A North Bend man was arrested early Monday, after firing a gun in the Silver Creek neighborhood of North Bend. No one was injured in the incident, but the man caused concerns for his own and others’ safety during the incident and a search that followed the gunshot.

Police were called to the home on Pickett Avenue at around 10:30 a.m., for a report of a 27 year-old-man with suicidal thoughts, firing a handgun.

“He fired off a round,” said Police Chief Steve McCulley, “We don’t know why.”

The man, who lived with his parents, then left the home, possibly carrying a handgun.

“This was obviously a concerning situation, both for his own safety and the safety of others,” said McCulley, adding that the man was “highly intoxicated.”

Police established a perimeter in the neighborhood to search for the man, and neighbors were advised to stay indoors during the search. A special operations team from the Coalition of Small Police Agencies was called in to assist with locating the man. At about 12:30 a.m., they located him in the back yard of his parents’ home.

He was taken to the hospital for treatment, and then booked into jail. He is likely to face charges of obstruction and a felony charge of reckless endangerment with a firearm.

In a search of the man’s room, police found and seized several rifles and several handguns.