GRANTS PASS, Ore. (Mar. 13, 2026) — A man accused of holding two elderly residents hostage inside a Grants Pass home after shooting himself in the leg was arrested following a tense police response that ended with officers forcing entry into the residence after hearing additional gunfire, authorities said.
The incident began around 5:44 p.m. on March 4, when 911 dispatchers received an emergency call from an elderly woman who reported that a man inside her home had fired a gun and struck his own leg, according to the Grants Pass Police Department. Officers responded to the residence in the 2400 block of Leonard Road.
Officers from both day and night patrol shifts responded to the call, with some doubling up in patrol vehicles due to the limited information available. During the response, one officer contacted the residence by phone and learned that another elderly resident remained inside and was being held hostage by the armed man.
Police requested that the Grants Pass Crisis Negotiation Team and Special Weapons and Tactics team stand by while officers worked to assess the situation.
Officers were able to help the elderly female caller safely exit the home through a back door while continuing to gather information about the situation inside. Authorities said officers were attempting to develop a plan to safely resolve the situation for both the hostage and the suspect.
While officers were coordinating their response, patrol officers heard gunshots from inside the home and immediately feared for the hostage’s safety. Officers then forced entry into the residence without specialized equipment in an effort to rescue the hostage.
Inside the home, officers found the suspect had shot himself in the chest. Officers began providing emergency medical care while other officers escorted the elderly male hostage out of the home safely.
Paramedics with American Medical Response and firefighters from Grants Pass Fire provided advanced medical care before transporting the suspect to Rogue Regional Medical Center in Medford.
Authorities said the man remained hospitalized until his release Thursday, when he was taken into custody with assistance from the Medford Police Department.
The suspect, identified as 51-year-old Lee Christopher Davis, was lodged in the Josephine County Jail. He faces charges including two counts of first-degree kidnapping, two counts of unlawful use of a weapon, menacing, felon in possession of a weapon and two counts of interfering with making a report.
Police said neither of the elderly residents was injured during the incident.
All suspects are believed innocent until proven guilty in a court of law
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