STANDOFF: Suspect opens fire on police
REEDSPORT, Ore. (KMTR) -- Police said a man who locked himself in a Fir Grove Motel room fired two shots at them when they stormed the room using a battering ram around 2 PM, Wednesday, September 12, 2012.
Police on scene believe Bennie Shawn Lee Pishione is still alive and willing to shoot at them. As of 3 PM, police on scene had not been able to contact Pishione because they believe he is not near the phone. The door to Pishione's room is still open.
The Oregon Department of Transportation has closed down U.S. Highway 101 and enacted a detour. About twenty people had gathered on the opposite side of the street to watch. A police officer informed them that they are in danger of a stray bullet. Some left, others stayed.
Police used a battering ram to enter the motel Room 27 where they say Pishione had locked himself earlier today, then quickly retreated with their guns drawn after the man opened fire.
The police are now back outside the room. The door is open and police have guns drawn and pointed at Room 27.
Pishione is wanted on a kidnapping charge after police say he forced his estranged girlfriend into his car in Coos Bay on Tuesday while brandishing a brick.
When police located Pishione at the motel this morning, he was alone. He tried to escape out the back window, then shut himself in the room, police said.
After reaching him on the phone this afternoon, Pishione asked to speak with his estranged girlfriend. The woman called and spoke Pishione, pleading with him to leave the room, police on scene said. Pishione refused.
Information courtesy of The World, http://www.theworldlink.com
