Oregon City Shopping Center Shooting Suspect Arrested

OREGON CITY, OR — No one was hurt Tuesday night when a Lane County fugitive wildly fired a handgun while trying to evade Oregon City police and Clackamas County Sheriff's deputies at the Oregon City Shopping Center, though a Clackamas County patrol car was hit at least once. The gunman was arrested and is being held without bail.

James Randall Paquin, 31, was taken to the Clackamas County Jail for attempted aggravated murder, felon in possession of a firearm, unlawful use of a weapon, unlawful possession of a firearm, and a parole violation stemming from convictions for a litany of felony crimes out of Lane County in 2004.

According to Oregon City authorities, Paquin was sitting in a suspicious vehicle spotted by a patrol officer at 1900 McLoughlin Blvd. around 7:30 p.m. Jan. 9. In the car with Paquin was an unnamed woman.

As the officer was speaking with Paquin and the woman, dispatch informed him the car was reported stolen out of Canby.

Confronted with this information, Paquin reportedly tried to flee on foot and the officer chased him.

When a Clackamas County deputy pulled into the shopping center, Paquin reportedly pulled a handgun and fired at the patrol car, hitting it at least one time. Police did not return fire, authorities said.

Paquin was taken into custody; the woman who was with him was not arrested.

Oregon City police and the Clackamas County Major Crimes Team are investigating the incident. This post will be updated when more information is released.

For an apparent crime spree in Eugene in 2004 — one month after his 18th birthday — Paquin was convicted on seven counts of burglary, eight counts of criminal mischief, and eight counts of theft. He was sentenced to a year and a half in jail.

In 2009 Paquin was found guilty of robbery, unauthorized use of a vehicle, and attempting to elude a police officer in Marion County. For those crimes it appears Paquin was sentenced to 2.5 years at the state prison in Ontario.

Images via Oregon City Police Department