Feb. 3, 2023 An “extremely dangerous” man wanted in Oregon for attempted murder and kidnapping died of a self-inflicted gunshot wound, police said.
By Peter Sblendorio, David Matthews Source New York Daily News (TNS) Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.
GRANTS PASS, Oregon — An “extremely dangerous” man wanted in Oregon for attempted murder and kidnapping died of a self-inflicted gunshot wound, police said.
Authorities took Benjamin Obadiah Foster, 36, into custody after a standoff Tuesday, and he died at a hospital shortly afterward, the Grants Pass Police Department told local news station KTVL.
Police identified Foster as a suspect after finding a woman “severely beaten into unconsciousness” at a home in Grants Pass last week, cops said in a previous announcement. The woman, who was reportedly bound and near death, was hospitalized.
Before his death, Foster engaged in a multi-hour standoff with police at the same home where he allegedly attempted to murder the woman, police said. Authorities say he barricaded himself beneath the residence before cops deemed the standoff “resolved” a little before 8 p.m. local time.
In an update Sunday, police described Foster — who was also wanted for assault — as “extremely dangerous.” Officials released a surveillance image Tuesday believed to show Foster walking a small dog.
A woman, identified as 68-year-old Tina Marie Jones, was arrested last week on suspicion of hindering Foster’s prosecution. Police warned Foster might be using dating apps to lure additional victims or supporters to help him escape.
Foster was accused in 2019 of keeping his girlfriend captive for two weeks at her Las Vegas apartment. He pleaded guilty to felony and misdemeanor battery charges in 2021 and was sentenced to 2½ years in prison. A judge credited him with 729 days served for his time awaiting trial, leaving him with 200 days left in his sentence.
Police said Wednesday afternoon they “discovered a double homicide scene” in Wolf Creek near where Foster fled from police last week. A local cab company said a man matching Foster’s description requested a ride from the area on Thursday. Someone at the company later made a welfare check for the pickup location.
The two victims, identified as Richard Lee Barron Jr. and Donald Owen Griffith , were likely killed by blunt force trauma — “and it was a brutal scene,” the Josephine County Sheriff’s Department said.
Police said the men were likely killed sometime between 3:30 p.m. on Monday and 7:10 a.m. on Tuesday.
“At this point we believe Benjamin Foster is the suspect of that homicide,” police said.
Cops added that the standoff occurred at the original crime scene and that Foster “burrowed” under the floorboards before he was removed after shooting himself.
Foster’s original victim remains in critical condition.
With News Wire Services