Oregon Mayor Accused of Road Rage Shooting

A small town in Oregon called Rufus is probably going to need a new mayor—the current one, Dowen Jones, was arrested Tuesday on attempted murder and assault charges stemming from an alleged road rage incident on Halloween night. According to the Hood River County Sheriff's Office, a family was driving south on Highway 281 around 8:43pm Monday behind "an SUV that was driving erratically." The sheriff's office said that after the SUV abruptly pulled over, the family slowed down so they could get a description of the vehicle and report the erratic driving, but as they passed the SUV, "a male subject stepped out of the passenger side and fired multiple rounds from a handgun at the passing family."

The sheriff's office says the two adults and two children, ages 5 and 8, were not injured, but the family's car was damaged by gunfire. Mayor Dowen Jones, 47, was arrested in Rufus the next day and taken to the Northern Oregon Regional Corrections Facility, the sheriff's office said. USA Today reports that Rufus, which has a population of 211, is around 100 miles east of Portland. The town is on the Columbia River, which separates Oregon and Washington. Jones was elected in 2018 with 76 votes, NBC reports. His term was due to expire at the end of this year. KATU reports that a representative said Rufus "has no comment on the matter." (More road rage stories.)