PORTLAND, Ore. – A 39-year-old Portland man faced arraignment on Friday in Deschutes County on 26 charges that included attempted murder, attempted assault, and unlawful use of a weapon. The man, identified as Samson Zebturiah Garner, was indicted by a Deschutes grand jury and arrested on Oct. 19 after Portland police alerted the Sheriff’s Office about a planned “violent attack.”
According to the sheriff’s office, detectives with the Portland Police Bureau had warned Deschutes County detectives about Garner’s intention to attack an event on Oct. 16. The charging document filed in Deschutes County listed the targets of Garner’s attack as “Belayer 1,” “Belayer 2,” “Spectator 1,” and “Spectator 2,” accusing him of planning to shoot and kill all four individuals.
Garner was apprehended by DCSO officers in Deschutes County without incident on Oct. 19 after they located his vehicle. A search of the vehicle yielded evidence of the planned attack, including several firearms. The county sheriff’s office believes that Garner was acting alone and that there is no further threat to the community.
The charges against Garner include four counts of attempted first-degree murder with multiple victims, several counts of attempted first and second-degree assault, and 15 counts of unlawful use of a weapon. He was lodged in the Deschutes County Sheriff’s Office Jail on Thursday and arraigned the following day.
FOX 12 has reached out to the county for more details and will update the story as information becomes available.