Early Monday morning, Medford Police (MPD) responded to a reported assault in Hawthorne Park, involving a possible firearm. Upon arrival, officers discovered several injured individuals at the scene. One female victim had been stabbed and was rushed to Asante Rogue Regional Medical Center (ARRMC) with serious injuries, while another victim suffered minor injuries after allegedly being assaulted by the assailants but did not require hospitalization.
Preliminary reports indicated that a physical altercation had taken place between several homeless individuals and several people in a possibly red car around 2am. During the investigation, MPD detectives found a shell casing, confirming that one shot was fired firing the incident. However, investigators report it remains unclear whether the shot was aimed at a person or discharged into the air, as no one was struck by the bullet. The suspects involved in the incident are still at large.
Lt. Don Lane of the Medford Police Department told Medford Alert that investigators recently acquired video footage, which they will use to aid in their investigation.
One of the victims involved in the incident contacted Medford Alert and provided their account of the events: “One of them [suspects] flashed a gun and then my instincts kicked in and I tried to stop him from using it he fired the gun and missed me then started to run away and fell flat on his face and when me and my partner tried to restrain him his 2 friends pulled me off and held me down by putting a knee on my neck and one of them pulled a knife and brass knuckles and then proceeded to beat slash and stab my partner untill they let go of the guy with the gun.” The individual requested to remain anonymous.
Medford Alert will continue to monitor the ongoing investigation and provide updates as new information becomes available.
