Coroner Dotti Owens says Heriberto Ortega, 20, died Monday at Saint Alphonsus Regional Medical Center in Boise of a self-inflicted gunshot wound to the head.
The Ada County Coroner’s Office released the name of the Nampa man who died of a self-inflicted gunshot wound following a standoff with police.
The incident began about 9:30 p.m. Thursday, November 29th when a Malheur County Sheriff’s Office deputy pulled a driver over for a traffic infraction at SE 9th Avenue and SE 4th Street in Ontario, Oregon.
Two Ontario Police officers arrived a short time later as a backup. One officer started to speak with a front-seat passenger, later identified as Ortega. When the officers realized Ortega had a handgun, the officer fired at least one round. Ortega, apparently uninjured, then took off running.
Officers later found Ortega holed up in an apartment in the 500 block of SE 6th Avenue in Ontario. Police set up a perimeter and tried to convince Ortega to come out and surrender. Officers shut down traffic in the area and evacuated a number of neighbors.
During the nearly three-hour negotiations, several shots were heard fired from inside the house. Fearing that Ortega may have turned the weapon on himself, the Malheur County emergency action team forced entry into the house and discovered that Ortega had, in fact, suffered a self-inflicted gunshot wound.
He was transported to a Boise hospital where he was initially listed in critical condition. He later died at the hospital.
The case is under investigation by both the Oregon State Police and the Malheur County Sheriff’s Office.