The Associated Press
ALBANY, Ore.- A preliminary autopsy report released Monday indicates a man who died in a shootout with Oregon State Police last week killed himself with a shot to the head.
John Paul Tolliver, 26, whose identity was released by police earlier Monday, also suffered five other wounds in the gun battle last Friday along Interstate 5 just north of Albany, according to Dr. Larry Lewman of the state medical examiner’s office.
Tolliver likely would have survived those other wounds to an arm and his legs, Lewman said.
Tolliver, who most recently lived in a Maryland boarding house, died at a Corvallis hospital early Saturday, police said.
Witnesses said Tolliver opened fire on troopers during a traffic stop.
Trooper Russell Decker, 33, was wearing body armor that stopped two bullets but he suffered a minor wound when he was shot through the foot. A second trooper was not injured.
The shooting was recorded by video systems mounted on patrol cars but release of the footage was pending a decision by the Linn County district attorney’s office following completion of the investigation.
The incident closed northbound lanes near Jefferson, between Salem and Albany, for several hours.