One dead in Officer-Involved Shooting in Coos Bay

Officers investigating the murder of Amber Townsend late yesterday afternoon identified a potential suspect in that shooting. The suspect was identified as 37-year-old Coos Bay resident Matthew Tyler Mikel. Investigators discovered Mikel was staying at the Global Inn in Coos Bay.

​At approximately 7:34 PM this last evening investigators contacted Mikel at the Global Inn. An altercation then ensued. An officer from the Coos County Sheriff’s Office and an officer from the Coos Bay Police Department fired their handguns. Mikel was struck by at least one round. The “shots fired” call to dispatch came in at 7:36 PM. Medical personnel was immediately dispatched and Mikel was then transported to Bay Area Hospital. Mikel was declared deceased at the hospital.

​The Coos County Major Crime Team was activated. Per officer-involved shooting protocol in Coos County, the Coos County Sheriff’s Office, and Coos Bay Police will not be part of the investigation into this incident. Officers from North Bend Police Department, Coquille Police Department, Myrtle Point Police Department, Bandon Police Department, the Confederated Tribal Police, Coquille Tribal Police, Bureau of Land Management Law Enforcement, the Oregon State Police, the Coos County Medical Examiner’s Office and the District Attorney’s Office responded. I have asked the Oregon State Police to be the lead agency on the case and detectives from Springfield and Roseburg have responded.