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The mayor of a small Oregon town is facing multiple charges after an alleged road rage shooting on Halloween, authorities announced Wednesday. The suspect, identified as Dowen Jones, is the mayor of Rufus, a tiny town east of Portland along the Columbia River.
At around 8:43 p.m. local time on Monday evening, a family including two adults, one five-year-old and an eight-year-old were traveling on Highway 281 behind an SUV “that was driving erratically,” the Hood River County Sheriff’s Office said.
The SUV eventually pulled over abruptly, and the family then slowed down to get a description of the vehicle in order to report it to officials.
The sheriff’s office said a man then stepped out of the passenger side of the SUV and fired multiple rounds from a handgun at the family.
No one was injured, but the gunfire caused damage to the family’s car, authorities said.
Investigators located the SUV on Tuesday, and identified Jones as the shooter.
Jones faces one count of attempted murder and four counts of attempted assault in the first degree. He is in custody at the Northern Oregon Regional Corrections in the Dalles.
The investigation into the incident is ongoing.
