SALEM, Ore. — Two were arrested after allegedly shooting a construction worker in the head and hitting another with a shovel at a Salem gas station.
Around 1:30 p.m. Thursday, emergency services responded to a call about shots fired at the Arco AMPM on Portland Road Northeast.
Witnesses said that earlier in the day, one of the suspects, 34-year-old Rafael Lucas Jr., attempted to start a fight with several construction crew members working in the store parking lot. Several hours later, Lucas returned with 61-year-old Benjamin Constantino-De la Luz, and a "verbal dispute" emerged between Lucas and one of the construction workers, a 48-year-old man.
Lucas then pulled out a pistol and chased the man, who ran inside the gas station, Lucas and Constantino-De la Luz following. Lucas then fired his pistol, shooting the man in the head.
Constantino-De la Luz used a shovel to hit another construction worker, a 70-year-old from Stayton, who was trying to help the man who had been shot. Both suspects then fled the store.
Lucas and Constantino-De la Luz were found blocks away from the gas station and taken into custody. Both were booked into the Marion County Jail on several charges, including second-degree attempted murder, first-degree assault, two counts of second-degree assault and unlawful use of a weapon.
The man who was shot was taken to Salem Health with critical injuries. He remains under medical care.
The 70-year-old who attempted to intervene had minor injuries and did not go to the hospital, police said.
