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A man suspected of killing three people in North Bend on Friday morning turned himself in to police in Milwaukee, Wisconsin on Sunday.
North Bend police were notified at about 6 a.m. Sunday that Oen Evan Nicholson, 30, was in custody in Milwaukee.
Nicholson has been charged with six counts of first-degree murder, one count of first-degree attempted murder, one count of first-degree assault and two counts of failure to perform duties of a driver to injured persons, according to Coos County District Attorney Paul Frasier. Frasier said Nicholson is charged with six counts of first-degree murder for administrative reasons, but is only charged with murdering three people.
Frasier said Nicholson will make a court appearance in Wisconsin within the next couple days, at which point the extradition process will begin. Nicholson can choose to waive or contest extradition. The latter could entail a time-consuming process, Frasier said.
Nicholson is suspected of running over two people near a casino, killing one of them, shooting and killing someone inside a marijuana dispensary and killing a third person before fleeing in their truck.
Frasier on Saturday identified Charles Simms Nicholson, 83, as the person found deceased in a trailer at an RV park at the Mill Casino. Authorities believe Oen Nicholson is the son of Charles Nicholson.
Frasier identified the person fatally struck at the RV park as Anthony Oyster, 74. His wife, Linda Oyster, 73, was also struck and remained in critical condition at a hospital Sunday morning, Frasier said.
Jennifer L. Davidson, 47, of Coos Bay was identified as the person killed at Herbal Choices cannabis shop. Frasier said that several people may have been inside the dispensary at the time of the shooting.
Authorities found the stolen Dodge truck Friday near the small community of Noti, which is about halfway between Florence and Eugene on Oregon 126. The truck had been set ablaze, Frasier said.
“On behalf of the city of North Bend I’d like to express my deepest condolences and prayers for the victims of their families, and everyone else impacted by this terrible act of violence carried out in our community,” North Bend Mayor Jessica Engelke said Sunday.
Nicholson was previously a resident of California, but is believed to have been living in the North Bend area since at least October, Frasier said. Officials believe that he drove to Wisconsin after the allegedly committing the three homicides in North Bend on Friday.
Nicholson turned himself in to authorities in Wisconsin less than 12 hours after police publicly identified him as the suspect in the killings.
The investigation into the triple homicide involved multiple agencies, including the North Bend Police Department, Coos County Sheriff’s Office, Coquille Police Department, National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration and the Oregon State Police.
“There’s a lot of work left to be done, but I want to thank every agency involved for their diligent work and the work of their personnel,” North Bend Police Chief Robert Kappelman said.
Frasier declined to comment on whether Nicholson is linked to an abduction case in Springfield.
“I have been in contact with the Lane County authorities,” he said. “We understand that there are potential crimes being investigated in that county.”
Officials encouraged anyone with information about the case to contact the North Bend Police Department.
— Ardeshir Tabrizian; atabrizian@oregonian.com; 503-929-3053; @ardytabrizian
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