NYSSA, Oregon — The Malheur County District Attorney has identified the suspect who died following a Wednesday shooting standoff in Nyssa, Oregon as 58-year-old Joel Evan Brousseau.
The District Attorney says reports of a person shooting a firearm from a home on Owyhee Avenue initially came in around 2:18 p.m. on Wednesday to Malheur County Dispatch Center. Shots were still being fired around 2:26 p.m., which they say is a sign of an active shooter situation.
Warning: Witness video below shows rapid gunfire in Nyssa.
The District Attorney says Brousseau fired several shots at law enforcement with a high-powered semi-automatic rifle around 3:17 p.m. Police on scene say hundreds of rounds were fired during the standoff.
At around the same time shots were fired, law enforcement evacuated people inside the nearby Owyhee Rock Store.
The Malheur County District Attorney says that OSP SWAT personnel, armored vehicles, and a robot operator were used to enter the home where the suspect was located. The District Attorney says those efforts were initially hindered by Brousseau's attempts to barricade the doors and windows of the home. OSP SWAT and Ontario Fire and Rescue also surveyed the area using a drone. Eventually, SWAT used an armored vehicle with a ram to break through barricades, like a nearby fence.
Alleynah Houston lives in the area. She said she heard the gunshots when they first broke out and initially thought it was a nail gun. She realized what was really happening about 10 minutes later. Houston tells Sr. Reporter Roland Beres, "There were just gunshots going right over my head." She says she hid behind the washer and dryer of her home. "You could hear stuff breaking and just seeing dust where all the bullets were going by, because it's a little trailer house. It went completely through," she says.
Law enforcement shot at the suspect several times during what turned out to be an 8-hour standoff. Several homes and vehicles were shot at.
Brousseau was found dead inside the home around 11:30 p.m. According to the District Attorney, Brousseau's death is still being investigated, but early information suggests he died from a self-inflicted gunshot wound.
Ontario Police, Oregon State Police, Malheur County Sheriff's Department and other out-of-county agencies responded.
Nobody else was hurt in the incident.
Roads that were previously closed during the standoff, including Highway 201, have reopened.
