Press release date: 2008-04-29
At 3:54 p.m. on April 29, 2008, a shooting occurred in the parking lot of the West Linn Police Department, 22825 Willamette Drive, West Linn. In what appears to have been a domestic violence situation, Lisa Gayle McMurtrey 51, of West Linn was witnessed driving towards the police station for help when she was shot by her estranged husband. After killing his wife , Newton Bill McMurtrey 56, of Damascus, OR, turned the gun on himself. Firefighter paramedics from Tualatin Valley Fire and Rescue provided advanced life support before he was transported to OHSU by an American Medical Response ambulance with life threatening injuries. Mr. McMurtrey succumbed to his injuries at OHSU.
Police Chief Terry Timeus was in his office when the victim and suspect drove into the station parking lot. "We are saddened by this tragic incident", st ates Chief Terry Timeus. "Though we know our officers could not have changed the outcome of this shooting, we understand she was trying to make it here for her safety, our hearts go out to the victim's family."
Officers later learned that thirty minutes before the shooting at the police station, witnesses saw the suspect ramming his car into the victim's. Sgt. Neil Hennelly, states, "It is imperative that people call 9-1-1 immediately if they witness suspicious or violent behavior".
