PORTLAND, Ore. — A man was sentenced to 22 years in prison for attempting to shoot and kill four separate people in the Salem area. Three of the shootings occurred over the course of five days in between Christmas and New Year's in 2021. The other happened five months later.
The first shooting occurred on Dec. 27, 2021, in a parking lot of an apartment complex in Northeast Salem early in the morning. Kenneth Felton, with another person not identified, assaulted a man and then fired multiple rounds in his back when he attempted to run, prosecutors said.
The second happened three days later in broad daylight at a business complex near the intersection of Pine and Broadway Streets in Northeast Salem. Felton, again with someone else, approached a man for a ride. When he refused, Felton shot the man several times in his leg and knee.
The third occurred on Jan. 1 at a home in Salem. Felton shot multiple rounds at his then-significant other during an argument over a firearm. At the time, Felton wasn't allowed to have or own a firearm, prosecutor's said.
Afterwards, Felton and his significant other fled to Umatilla County. There, police found him and the woman in a car that had been reported stolen. According to prosecutors, Felton attempted to escape but later surrendered. Law enforcement found a firearm in the car that was determined to be a match for the first three shootings. He was placed in custody and later charged on Jan. 3, but was eventually released around April 19, 2022.
About a month later, Felton shot another man several times in a Salem residential neighborhood. Two women had called Felton on May 18, 2022, to help intervene on behalf of a friend who was arguing with her significant other. There, in broad daylight, Felton shot at the man multiple times.
According to prosecutors, the friend of the two women was in no immediate danger since her and the man had "physically" separated by that point.
Salem police captured Felton in a traffic stop four days later. He was found with the gun used in the fourth shooting.
On May 3, Felton pleaded guilty to three separate counts of attempted murder with a firearm, first-degree assault with a firearm, second-degree assault constituting domestic violence and felon in possession of a firearm.
A Marion County judge sentenced Felton to 275 months in prison, or 22 years and 9 months, with the option for early release after two decades served.
