PORTLAND, Ore. (KOIN) — New video of a deadly April shootout between Oregon State Police and a suspect with an AK-47 in Klamath County was released on Wednesday.
The suspect, identified by a grand jury as Matthew Brennon Goff, had a 6-year-old boy in his SUV at the time of the shootout with authorities, state police said; the boy was unharmed.
On April 10, Klamath County Sheriff’s deputies were called to a Klamath Falls home for a report of an intoxicated man, later identified as Goff, trying to take his children. Once they arrived, deputies learned Goff had already fled. However, he was spotted a short time later on a nearby road by a state trooper and a chase ensued on Highway 97 going north, according to police.
Eventually, both Klamath County deputies and state police troopers stopped the SUV using a spike strip, but when the Goff got out, he opened fire on them with an AK-47 rifle, according to authorities, firing off at least 36 rounds into three law enforcement vehicles and injuring a state trooper.
Authorities returned fire, hitting and killing Goff.
The trooper who was hurt has since returned to duty. The 6-year-old boy was taken from the SUV and thankfully, he came out unscathed.
A Klamath County grand jury found the state police trooper and sheriff’s deputy who shot Goff were justified in using deadly force.
Authorities say the video, which was released Wednesday a month after the shooting, highlights just some of the dangers law enforcement face every day.
“I don’t think I’m alone when I admit my heart skipped a beat when I first viewed this video,” said Oregon State Superintendent Travis Hampton. “I credit the professionalism and remarkable bravery of the Oregon State Police Troopers and Klamath County Deputy Sheriffs that brought this violent event to end.”
