A man wanted in a double homicide case out of Washington state killed himself Wednesday afternoon following an hours-long standoff with law enforcement officials in Pendleton.
Jared Abernathy, 33, a resident of Washington State, apparently shot himself inside a Motel 6 in Pendleton around 8:06 p.m., said Pendleton Police Chief Stuart Roberts.
The incident began at 12:09 p.m., when the Umatilla County Dispatch Center in Pendleton received a request for assistance from U.S. Marshals and the Mason County Sheriff’s Office in Shelton, Wash. The dispatch center was informed that Abernathy was a suspect in a double homicide that occurred in Mason County on Tuesday, Jan. 24 and that Abernathy was believed to be armed.
Just before 1 p.m., a Pendleton Police officer located a 2006 Chevrolet Equinox associated with Abernathy parked behind the Motel 6 in Pendleton just off Interstate 84. Shortly thereafter, U.S. Marshals arrived in Pendleton to provide assistance to the Pendleton Police Department. Roberts said a perimeter was quickly established as additional resources were requested from the Umatilla County Sheriff’s Office, Oregon State Police and Hermiston Police Department.
Trained negotiators were able to establish communication with Abernathy at 3:14 p.m. after several failed attempts. Communications were maintained for almost five hours as Abernathy spoke to family, friends and negotiators. The ultimate goal of having Abernathy come out of his motel room peacefully ended at 8:06 p.m. when negotiators heard what sounded like a muffled report from a firearm. Several attempts to re-establish communication with Abernathy went unanswered before Oregon State Police SWAT breached the door to Abernathy’s motel room, however, Abernathy was found to be unresponsive.
Detectives from the Pendleton Police Department and Oregon State Police in cooperation with the Oregon Medical Examiner’s Office and Mason County Sheriff’s Office processed the motel room.
Interstate 84 between Exits 209 and 213 were shut down for a period as a safety precaution. Movement of patrons in surrounding businesses and vehicular traffic on adjacent roadways were also restricted.
