WALDPORT, Ore. — A deputy shot and killed a suspect accused of firing a rifle in Waldport on Nov. 10, according to the Lincoln County Sheriff's Office.
On Sunday, at around 7:40 p.m., a deputy with the Lincoln County Sheriff's Office responded to a "disturbance" involving a woman, Virginia Lee Morris, 38, of Waldport. Morris reportedly fired a rifle from a home located at 1015 Southeast Rolph Court in Waldport, according to the sheriff's office. Deputy Benjamin Cloud "took up an observation position south of the residence," the sheriff's office said. Morris walked out of the home, and at some point, Cloud shot her. The sheriff's office recovered the suspect's firearm.
Other deputies that responded provided Morris with medical aid, but she died in an ambulance while being taken to Samaritan Pacific Communities Hospital in Newport, Ore., the sheriff's office said. No one else was harmed during this incident.
Due to Lincoln County Sheriff’s Office policy, Cloud has been placed on paid administrative leave pending the outcome of the investigation into the use of deadly force. Cloud has been with the sheriff's office for 11 years.
The Lincoln City Police Department is leading the investigation and multiple agencies are helping, including the detectives from the Lincoln County Sheriff's Office, the Newport Police Department and the Oregon State Police Criminal Investigations Division.