Erica Michelle Lauro

Deadly force

Oregon officers were conducting an investigation into an assault at a bar. The three suspects, all of whom were from out of state, assaulted three people--two men and a woman--when an altercation sparked by a verbal exchange between a woman in the suspects' group and a woman in the victims' group spilled into the parking lot. The suspects fled in a other into Northwood and were pursued by Oregon police. The other, parked in a driveway and with lights off, eluded officers until a Northwood resident called the Northwood police to report noises. Oregon police were notified and also arrived. The suspects apparently intended to steal a license plate from a other at the location. Officers then tried to take one of the male suspects into custody. The armed suspect ran and circled around the area, coming up behind some of the officers. There was a gunfight, and Lauro was killed.