Man wanted for killing three, including his father, arrested after forcing woman to drive him 2,000 miles, police say
Woman forced to drive for 33 hours manages to talk gunman into stop running from law enforcement
Oen Evan Nicholson, suspected of killing three people and injuring a fourth, was arrested in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, after forcing a woman to drive him more than 2.000 miles.
The 30-year-old was taken into custody after 6am on Sunday after the woman, who he forced to drive for 33 hours, convinced him to stop running from law enforcement.
Laura Johnson was walking to her car during her lunch break on Friday at a sporting goods store in Springfield, Oregon when a man approached, showed her a gun and told her to get into her vehicle and start driving. NBC News reported that Mr Nicholson stopped at a store to buy more ammunition.
After driving east for more than a full day, the 34-year-old woman had convinced Mr Nicholson to allow her to get away unharmed.
“She was able to talk him into turning himself in,” her father, Dennis Johnson, told KEZI.
Paul Frasier, the district attorney in Coos County, Oregon said during a news conference that after being arrested without incident, Mr Nicholson was charged with 10 crimes, including murder, attempted murder, and assault.
He allegedly committed a number of violent crimes on Friday in the town of North Bend along the Oregon coast.
Police said he’s suspected of killing his father, Charles Simms Nicholson, in a trailer at an RV park near the Mill Casino. They added that he hit two people with his father’s pickup truck as he drove through the RV park before fleeing.
Anthony Oyster, 74, was killed and his wife Linda Oyster, 73, was taken to hospital after being critically injured.
Mr Frasier said the pickup truck was found on a highway, where it had crashed and been set aflame. A witness said he saw Mr Nicholson disappear into the woods with a gun.
Police were alerted to a shooting three minutes after they received the news of the hit-and-run in the RV park. Mr Nicholson drove to Herbal Choices Marijuana Dispensary, where he allegedly shot 47-year-old Jennifer Davidson, killing her.
Springfield police started searching for Laura Johnson after her co-workers grew concerned when she didn’t return from her lunch break and didn’t answer her phone.
At that point, North Bend police were already looking for Mr Nicholson, sharing surveillance footage with the public to aid their search.
A day later, Mr Nicholson turned himself in to police in Wisconsin and Ms Johnson was found unharmed. “What a Father’s Day gift that was handed back to me,” Mr Johnson told KEZI.
“Words fall short of describing the tragedy that took place on Friday and the ensuing events in Lane County, and we’re all left incredibly shaken,” North Bend Mayor Jessica Engelke said at a news conference on Sunday. “This is something you hope never happens in your community, in the town that you call home.”
Mr Frasier said that Mr Nicholson will appear in court in Milwaukee before facing charges in Oregon.