Grants Pass, OR. — A 51-year-old man has been lodged in the Josephine County Jail following a dramatic hostage situation earlier this month that ended with police rescuing an elderly victim and providing lifesaving care to the suspect.
According to the Grants Pass Police Department, officers were dispatched around 5:44 p.m. on March 4 after an elderly woman called 911 reporting that a man inside her home in the 2400 block of Leonard Road had fired a gun and shot himself in the leg.
Responding officers from both day and night patrol shifts quickly arrived at the residence. While attempting to assess the situation, an officer called the home and learned that another elderly resident inside was being held hostage by the armed suspect.
Police requested the Grants Pass Crisis Negotiation Team and Special Weapons and Tactics (SWAT) team to stand by while officers worked to stabilize the situation. Officers were able to safely help the female resident exit the home through the back door while continuing to gather information about the suspect and hostage still inside.
During the planning phase, officers suddenly heard additional gunshots from within the home and feared the hostage was in immediate danger. Patrol officers forced entry into the residence without specialized equipment to rescue the victim.
Inside the home, officers discovered the suspect had shot himself in the chest. Police immediately began providing emergency medical care while other officers escorted the elderly male hostage to safety.
The suspect was transported by ambulance to Rogue Regional Medical Center in Medford, where he remained hospitalized until his release. With assistance from the Medford Police Department, officers arrested Lee Christopher Davis, 51, after he was discharged from the hospital.
Davis was booked into the Josephine County Jail on multiple 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 credited the actions of a patrol sergeant and eleven responding officers with preventing injuries to the elderly residents and saving the suspect’s life.
Further questions about the case have been referred to the Josephine County District Attorney’s Office.
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