NYSSA, Oregon — "I heard some pop, pop, pop," recounted Chancy Russell. "And [then] we realized it was gunshots." What started as a normal Wednesday shift at The Rock Store in Nyssa, Oregon, quickly turned into a nightmare scenario for Russell and the rest of The Rock Store team last week. The shooting and resulting standoff would last 8 hours.
The suspect in the shooting, 58-year-old Joel Brousseau, would ultimately die from a self-inflicted gunshot wound. Before taking his own life, authorities claim Brousseau fired several hundred rounds from a high-powered semi-automatic rifle, hitting several cars, homes, and the nearby convenience store.
"That was the first time we've been closed for a full day and nothing ever this serious," said Janet Faulconer, another employee at The Rock Store.
Idaho News 6 revisited the area a week later to see how the store and surrounding community have coped in the days following the dramatic shooting.
"I really thought he was gonna come in here and shoot everybody that was in here. I was with a pregnant lady, so I was trying to go to the basement," added Russell showing me the bullet holes that went through the store.
The owner of The Rock Store, Tyler Simpson said the damage is extensive. "We got to put [on] a new roof... there were 76 holes in the roof." Gunshots also hit major electrical components.
Simpson tells me the community came together after the shooting. Locals immediately offered to help with generators and freezers to keep the food from going bad due to the subsequent power outage. One thing he's thankful for is his family dog being found after going missing during the standoff. "I happened to see her across the street by the store we [and] were able to grab her."
Alleynah Houston, the neighbor who previously told Idaho News 6 how she hid behind her washer and dryer during the shooting, says her family has been working hard to repair the bullet holes that went through her trailer. Houston explained that she simply hopes to heal from what she says was a very traumatic experience.
Alleynah Houston has since created a GoFundMe to help with costs associated with the repairs.
