A 39-year-old rock climber was arrested Thursday and charged with planning a shooting attack on a climbing event at a central Oregon state park this weekend.
Portland Police Bureau detectives notified Dechutes County deputies about the potential attack on Monday, identifying Portland resident Samson Zebturiah Garner as the suspect, the Dechutes County Sheriff’s Office said.
The two agencies worked together on the investigation, learning on Thursday that Garner had already traveled the 145 miles to Dechutes County, where the American Alpine Club was hosting the Smith Rock Craggin’ Classic October 20-22 at Smith Rock State Park on the Crooked River.
Detectives and deputies tracked Garner down and took him into custody just before 2:30 p.m. Thursday, charging him with attempted murder, attempted assault, and unlawful use of a weapon. A search warrant of Garner’s vehicle found “evidence of the planned attack.”
Oregon Public Radio said that evidence included a Beretta 9mm handgun, a Sig Sauer 9mm handgun and an AR-15. According to OPR, Deshute County District Attorney Steve Gunnels, who filed a 27-count charging document against Garner on Friday, said that investigators located journal entries suggesting that Garner had a “generalized anger” and did not plan to target specific people.
Gunnels said investigators have not identified a clear motive for the plot but stressed that the plot was a serious one.
“(Garner) was prepared for it,” he said. “He had driven two-and-a-half, three hours to Deschutes County, where he apparently intended to carry out the attack. And he was armed for it.”
Garner has an active membership in Mazama, a mountaineering education nonprofit, but Mazama Executive Director Rebekah Phillips said his involvement with the group had been “limited since 2018.”
The American Alpine Club said in a Facebook post that it became aware of the threat on Wednesday and kept abreast of the situation until Garner was arrested and it was satisfied there was no further threat to the event.
Garner was arraigned Friday afternoon and ordered held on a $10 million bail, KTVZ reported. He is expected to be indicted by a grand jury next week.
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[Featured image: Smith Rock State Park/Google Maps]
