A final report by the Clatsop County District Attorney’s Office has concluded that police officers were justified in fatally shooting a man in a Seaside neighborhood in early July.
The report also released the most detailed account of the shooting since it occurred.
On July 8, Hayes McCloud, 24 from Eatonville, Washington, was wanted for two homicides committed that same day in Washington. A vehicle associated with him was spotted in Seaside.
According to the District Attorney’s Office, law enforcement attempted a high-risk traffic stop. McCloud stopped in a driveway on Sunset Boulevard, near the popular Cove area, and began shooting through the rear window at law enforcement.
Officers returned fire and McCloud fled to the end of the roadway. According to officers at the scene, his car crashed into a fence and came to a stop.
According to the report, officers approached the car after several minutes and found McCloud slumped over, dead, with a rifle next to him.
An autopsy found McCloud died from a gunshot wound to the chest.
Cannon Beach Police Officer James Jordan and Gearhart Police Officer Jeremiah Mares were placed on administrative leave pending the investigation.
The evening of the shooting, people in Clatsop County received a county-wide emergency alert while residents on Sunset Boulevard were briefly advised to shelter in place.