Grants Pass police shot and killed Alicia Ann Shelton, 43, on February 7, 2026, during a roughly six-minute confrontation on the Debbs Potts Parkway Bridge after she pointed what officers believed was a handgun at them. Josephine County District Attorney Josh Eastman later ruled the Alicia Shelton Grants Pass shooting legally justified, finding that the two officers who fired reasonably believed she posed an imminent lethal threat — even though the objects she held turned out to be a Byrna less-lethal launcher and a replica pellet gun.
What 911 Callers Reported
Shortly after 12:30 p.m. on a Saturday, multiple callers reported a woman standing in the roadway near Grants Pass Parkway and M Street, apparently firing handguns.1KATU. Police Shoot, Kill Woman in Grants Pass Accounts varied. Some callers said shots had been fired; others were unsure whether the weapons were real.2Grants Pass Tribune. Six Minutes on the Parkway Bridge: District Attorney Concludes Review of Fatal Grants Pass Police Shooting Officers responded to the Debbs Potts Parkway Bridge, shut down traffic, and set up a perimeter around Shelton.
How the Six Minutes Unfolded
When officers reached the bridge, they saw Shelton shouting, waving what looked like a handgun, and repeatedly pointing it in their direction.2Grants Pass Tribune. Six Minutes on the Parkway Bridge: District Attorney Concludes Review of Fatal Grants Pass Police Shooting A detective used a patrol car’s public-address system to order her to drop the weapon. According to the district attorney’s review, those commands were issued at least ten times. Shelton refused. At times she challenged the officers to shoot her, and at one point she charged toward them.3KOBI-TV. Officer-Involved Shooting on Debbs Potts Bridge Justified
At approximately 12:36 p.m., Shelton moved to the shoulder of the bridge, raised the weapon, and pointed it directly at the officers. Two officers each fired a single round from their duty rifles, striking her.2Grants Pass Tribune. Six Minutes on the Parkway Bridge: District Attorney Concludes Review of Fatal Grants Pass Police Shooting As officers approached to provide medical aid, Shelton reached for the weapon again.3KOBI-TV. Officer-Involved Shooting on Debbs Potts Bridge Justified She was transported to Three Rivers Medical Center and pronounced dead.1KATU. Police Shoot, Kill Woman in Grants Pass No other injuries were reported. The two officers were placed on paid administrative leave, and their names were not publicly released.
What the Weapons Actually Were
Investigators determined that the object Shelton held during the confrontation was a Byrna launcher, a commercially available less-lethal device designed to resemble a handgun.3KOBI-TV. Officer-Involved Shooting on Debbs Potts Bridge Justified Oregon State Police later recovered a replica Glock pellet gun from the river beneath the bridge.2Grants Pass Tribune. Six Minutes on the Parkway Bridge: District Attorney Concludes Review of Fatal Grants Pass Police Shooting Neither was a real firearm capable of firing live ammunition. Eastman emphasized that the actual nature of the weapons was not what controlled the legal analysis. What mattered was what the officers reasonably believed when they fired.
Why the DA Ruled the Shooting Justified
On February 25, 2026, Eastman announced the conclusion of his office’s review and found both officers’ actions “wholly justified,” adding that “no further action in this matter is anticipated nor merited.”2Grants Pass Tribune. Six Minutes on the Parkway Bridge: District Attorney Concludes Review of Fatal Grants Pass Police Shooting His investigation drew on body-camera recordings, dash-camera footage, civilian videos shared on social media, witness statements, and the independent Oregon State Police investigation.
Eastman grounded the ruling in Oregon Revised Statute 161.242, which allows a peace officer to use deadly physical force only when it is “objectively reasonable, under the totality of circumstances known to the peace officer,” to believe a person poses an imminent threat of death or serious physical injury. The statute also requires officers, when they have a reasonable opportunity, to consider alternatives such as verbal de-escalation and to give a warning before firing.4Oregon Public Law. ORS 161.242 – Use of Deadly Physical Force by Peace Officer
Eastman found both requirements met. Officers had attempted de-escalation for several minutes, issuing repeated commands through a PA system, and Shelton refused every one. At the moment the officers fired, she was pointing what they reasonably believed to be a real firearm directly at them.2Grants Pass Tribune. Six Minutes on the Parkway Bridge: District Attorney Concludes Review of Fatal Grants Pass Police Shooting The criminal investigation is now closed.
Local Context
The shooting landed in a city already under scrutiny over police use of force. In September 2025, a bystander video surfaced on social media showing a violent April 2024 traffic stop in which Grants Pass officers punched and elbowed a driver multiple times. The footage was shared thousands of times and prompted a notice of intent to sue the city for excessive force.5OregonLive. City Cop in Oregon Wanted Traffic Case Dropped to Avoid a Lawsuit. Then a Video Surfaced Eastman, the same official who reviewed the Shelton case, had previously said the officers in that traffic stop were “forced to use force” because the driver resisted arrest. That earlier episode heightened community attention on how the Grants Pass Police Department uses and reviews force.