Eastern Oregon police officer shot, killed; suspect sought

NYSSA, Ore. (AP) — Authorities were looking for a man they believe shot and killed an eastern Oregon reserve police officer.

Nyssa officer Joseph Johnson, 43, died Saturday night after a man he had pursued in a car shot at him. The man fled and Johnson was dead when sheriff’s officers and medical workers arrived, The Oregonian reported.

Johnson had been responding to reports the man was making threats and damaging property, the Malheur County District Attorney’s office said in a statement Sunday.

Nyssa, population 3,200, is near the Idaho state line about 50 miles (80 kilometers) northwest of Boise, Idaho.

Oregon Gov. Tina Kotek ordered flags at public institutions to be flown at half-mast until sundown Monday in honor of Johnson.

“This is an absolute tragedy,” she said in a statement. “Officer Johnson’s service and dedication to his community and our state will not be forgotten.”

Johnson is survived by a wife and two children.