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FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 9, 2022
VOL. 131, NO. 18 Serving the Lower Columbia Region since 1891
Sheriff reveals fatal shooting details
and additional police on their way and I knew he wouldn’t hesitate to shoot them if given the chance.
JEREMY C. RUARK jruark@countrymedia.net
On the morning of March 31 an officer-involved shooting occurred at a Scappoose towing company. The suspect suffered fatal wounds. The shooting involved Columbia County Sheriff Brian Pixley and Oregon State Police (OSP) Sgt. Chad Drew.
The Chief: Directly after the suspect was down, what did you do? Pixley: I radioed dispatch to let them know the suspect was down but still had his gun. I continued to order that the suspect drop his weapon, but he did not do so and continued to fire his gun at me. I continued to monitor his location to ensure he couldn’t harm anyone nearby.
The shooting OSP troopers and Columbia County Sheriff’s Office (CCSO) deputies, including Sheriff Pixley, responded to the call of a disturbance call involving a suspect at Grumpy’s Towing at 53279 Columbia River Highway. As officers arrived on scene, law enforcement agents, including Pixley, ordered the suspect to drop his weapon.. The suspect, identified as 39-year-old Michael Stockton, fired multiple shots at two law enforcement officers, and the officers returned fire, hitting Stockton, according to investigators. No officers were injured during the gunfire. Multiple law enforcement agencies, including St. Helens and Scappoose Police also responded to the incident. Officers at the scene rendered aid to Stockton until medical personnel could take over. Stockton was later pronounced deceased. The Washington County Sheriff’s Office conducted the shooting investigation and forwarded the findings to the Columbia County District Attorney. In late August, Columbia County District Attorney Jeff Auxier ruled that the shooting was justified.
Jeremy C. Ruark / The Chief
Law enforcement agents conduct the investigation following the fatal shooting at the Scappoose tow company location.
Details revealed Now that the investigation has ended and the DA has made his ruling, Sheriff Pixley agreed to talked with The Chief about the event. The Chief: Describe how you were involved in this shooting, and how it transpired. Brian Pixley: March 31 started like a typical Thursday. On my way to work, I received a call for assistance. (Since we are understaffed, I sometimes clear calls on my way to work.) CCOM advised me that Oregon State Police was responding to Grumpy’s Towing and asked if I could assist. I was less than a mile away so I headed over. Once I arrived at Grumpy’s, I put on my body camera, walked to the entrance, and briefly spoke with two civilians. They indicated the suspect, who was inside the building. The suspect saw me walking
towards him, then turned and walked towards the back exit of the building. I called out “Sir, come here” a couple of times, but he did not respond. As soon as he stepped outside, he turned to face me and fired a shot at me. I immediately drew my firearm and called “Shots fired!” over the radio. I followed the suspect outside. Once outside, I turned to my right and saw the suspect standing about 10 feet away from me with two guns pointed at me. He started shooting and my body camera fell to the ground. I ordered him to drop his gun but he didn’t, so I fired my gun. He turned to run away, but continued firing at me so I continued to fire back, striking him. The suspect fell to the ground on the opposite side of a car in the lot, but continued firing at me. I radioed to dispatch that the suspect was down but still shooting. While on the ground, he continued firing. I moved to get into a better position to engage
him, but couldn’t locate a direct line of fire and realized that any further shots from me would be fired towards the highway, so I chose not to shoot. Instead, I continued to yell “Drop the gun!” and “Put your hands up!” Over two minutes later, OSP Troopers arrived. The suspect continued to fire so one of the Troopers raised his rifle and fired several shots at the suspect. At that point, the suspect dropped his guns. The Troopers and I approached the suspect to take him into custody and render aid. We performed CPR and rescue breathing until medics arrived. When medics arrived, the suspect was pronounced deceased. The Chief: At the moment you had to fire your weapon, what were you thinking?
The Chief: Is this the first time in your law enforcement career that you have engaged in a shooting and killed a suspect? Pixley: Yes, this is the first time in my 20-year career that I have ever had to discharge my weapon at a person. The Chief: What was your feeling after you learned that the suspect was killed in the shooting? Pixley: Honestly, I don’t know. I had just been through a highly charged critical incident and spent several minutes performing CPR on the person who had just tried to kill me. I was happy to be alive, scared, sad - you name the emotion, and it was probably there. The Chief: Certainly, you and other members of your team have extensive training to be prepared for the use of deadly force. Briefly describe that training and when you believe it is necessary to use deadly force.
Pixley: I was thinking that I couldn’t let this guy hurt anyone. There were civilians on the premises
See SHOOTING Page A3
Columbia County fire danger increases JEREMY C. RUARK jruark@countrymedia.net
The National Weather Service issued a Red Flag Warning for our area effective from 11 a.m. Sept. 9 through 11 p.m. Sept. 10. A Red Flag Warning means that critical fire weather conditions are either occurring now or will shortly. A combination of the above conditions can contribute to extreme fire behavior. Thousands of utility customers across Oregon were alerted by Pacific Power and Portland General Electric of potential power shutoffs due to the increasing fire danger. Local utility reaction In response to the Red Flag Warning, the Clatskanie PUD announced its team will follow the utility’s wildfire mitigation Plan and consult with Columbia County Emergency Management, the Oregon Department of Forestry, and local fire departments.
“Our system in rural areas will be modified according to our plan, and our crew is on alert and will be ready to respond quickly,” Clatskanie PUD’s Sarah Johnson said. Johnson said Clatskanie PUD utilizes a Public Safety Power Shutoff (PSPS) as a last response in mitigation strategies during red flag warnings or extreme conditions. “We are not planning to use PSPS at this time, unless conditions change to include imminent fire danger, or mandatory fire orders are in effect,” Johnson said. “If the situation changes and a PSPS becomes necessary, we will do our best to notify customers through our website and social media.” Clatskanie PUD encourages customers to be prepared for emergency situations and have supplies on hand in case of power outages. Disruption to power can be caused due to car hit pole accidents, wind, trees falling through the lines, and other severe weather conditions at any time. Columbia River PUD’s Kyle Boggs said his utility is adjusting to the fire danger but not planning
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A Red Flag Warning means that critical fire conditions are either occurring now or will shortly
Public Safety Power Shutoffs. “In response, we will modify parts of our system in accordance with our Wildfire Mitigation Plan,” Boggs said. “These modifications will result in longer restoration times if you lose power. At this time, we do not plan to institute a Public Safety Power Shutoff (PSPS); however, we will
continue to monitor our system and weather conditions in our area. If conditions warrant, a PSPS may occur. Boggs added that should a PSPS be necessary, Columbia River PUD will attempt to notify customers through social media and the utility’s website. “However, there may be little or
no notice, so please be prepared for that to occur,” Boggs said. A Public Safety Power Shutoff is a proactive effort to reduce wildfire risk during hazardous fire weather conditions, including extremely low humidity, dry vegetation, elevated levels on key weather indexes and sustained winds and gusts. The heat and wildfire power shutoffs are common in California. Pacific Gas and Electric (PG&E) states on its website that heat-related equipment outages can occur during periods of sustained high temperatures. “Transformers, which distribute power to homes and businesses, need a period of time when they can cool down, which usually happens overnight when energy usage and temperatures drop,” PG&E states. “Heat events with sustained high overnight temperatures can put stress on transformers, causing them to fail. This is more likely to occur in area where coastal influence normally results in
See FIRE Page A5
$69 million in addition SNAP food benefits Obituaries ................. A3 Opinions ................... A4 Classified Ads ......... A5 Legals ....................... A5 Sports.........................A6
Contact The Chief Phone: 503-397-0116 Fax: 503-397-4093 chiefnews@countrymedia.net 1805 Columbia Blvd., St. Helens, OR 97051
STAFF REPORT chiefnews@countrymedia.net
Those living in Columbia County, and across the state who receive Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) benefits will receive emergency allotments this month. The federal government has approved emergency allotments every month since March 2020. This gives SNAP recipients additional support during the COVID-19 pandemic. These emergency benefits are a temporary support that Oregon can provide because of the federal COVID-19 public health emergency. Because the federal government approved these emergency benefits for September, Oregon will also be able to issue them in October. However, the emergency benefits are expected to end when the federal public health emergency ends. In September, approximately 433,000 SNAP households will receive approximately $69 million in extra food benefits in addition
to their regular SNAP benefits. “We know that many rely on these additional emergency food benefits to get enough healthy food for themselves and their families,” Oregon Department of Human Services (ODHS) SelfSufficiency Programs Interim Director Jana McLellan said. “We also know that many Oregonians are still struggling to meet their basic needs and we encourage them to contact our partners at 211, the Oregon Food Bank and their local Community Action Agency for support during this difficult time.” Current SNAP households will receive emergency allotments on Sept. 13. Emergency allotments will be issued Sept. 30 or Oct. 4 for households who did not receive benefits in the first monthly issuance. SNAP recipients do not have to take any action to receive these supplemental benefits as they will be issued directly on their EBT cards. More information about emergency allotments is available at https://www.oregon.gov/dhs/AS-
SISTANCE/FOOD-BENEFITS/ Pages/Emergency-Allotments. aspx. Questions about your SNAP benefits should be directed to the ONE Customer Service Center at 1-800-699-9075. If your household receives SNAP and your income or the number of people in your household has changed, it could impact your benefits. It is important to make sure ODHS has the most upto-date information. You can report any changes to your income or household in many ways: • Online at: ONE.Oregon.gov • By mail at: ONE Customer Service Center, PO Box 14015, Salem, OR 97309 • By fax at: 503-378-5628 • By phone at: 1-800-699-9075 or TTY 711 Resources to help meet basic needs • Find a food pantry: foodfinder.oregonfoodbank.org • Learn about government pro-
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SNAP is an assistance program designed to help approximately 1 million eligible, low-income families and individuals in Oregon, including many older adults and people with disabilities, with emergency food allotments and other benefits.
grams and community resources for older adults and people with disabilities: Aging and Disability Resource Connection of Oregon at 1-855-673-2372 or www.adrcoforegon.org. • Dial 2-1-1, or text your zip code to 898-211, www.211info.org • Find local resources and support by contacting your local Community Action Agency: www. caporegon.org/find-services/ • Oregon Department of Human Services COVID-19 help center