Authorities say the driver fled a traffic stop near Brightwood before the pursuit ended in Welches.
CLACKAMAS COUNTY, Ore. — A suspected impaired driver was shot and killed Sunday night after fleeing an attempted traffic stop on Highway 26 and stopping near a Welches business, according to Oregon State Police.
The death quickly turned a routine traffic enforcement stop into a major investigation involving multiple agencies. State police said the driver refused to stop near East Brightwood Loop Road shortly before 7 p.m., then led troopers and Clackamas County sheriff’s deputies eastbound for roughly five miles. The pursuit ended near the Barlow Trail Roadhouse, where officers used deadly force. Officials have confirmed the driver died, but they have not yet said what triggered the shooting.
The first official timeline points to a fast-moving chain of events on one of the region’s best-known mountain corridors. Police said troopers tried to stop a man they believed was driving under the influence on Highway 26 near Brightwood. A separate local account said the man accelerated away as a trooper approached the vehicle, turning the stop into a pursuit. Troopers and Clackamas County deputies followed the vehicle eastbound until it came to a stop near the Barlow Trail Roadhouse in Welches. It was there, police said, that deadly force was used. The man was pronounced dead after the shooting. Authorities have not released his name, and they have not said whether he died at the scene or after medical efforts. They also have not explained whether the stop ended because the driver surrendered, was forced to stop, or became disabled.
That lack of detail now sits at the center of the case. Oregon State Police has said no troopers or deputies were injured, but the public record goes little further. Police have not identified the officer or officers who fired. They have not said whether the man pointed a weapon, ignored commands, tried to drive away again or moved toward officers before shots were fired. There has also been no public statement on how many patrol cars were involved, whether spike strips or other tactics were used, or whether the pursuit passed through areas with heavy evening traffic. In cases like this, investigators usually work to establish sequence with radio logs, vehicle locations, witness statements and video evidence. But as of Monday, none of those details had been made public, leaving a broad gap between the known timeline and the fatal outcome.
The geography of the incident helps explain why the case is drawing immediate attention. Highway 26 is more than a local road. It serves as a major connection from the Portland area into the Mount Hood corridor, running through communities where homes, restaurants and roadside businesses sit close to passing traffic. Brightwood and Welches are familiar stops for commuters, tourists and outdoor travelers, and a police pursuit through that stretch can raise questions beyond the direct confrontation itself, including who might have witnessed it and how much danger nearby drivers or pedestrians faced. The mention of the Barlow Trail Roadhouse suggests the final stop happened in a recognizable commercial area rather than an isolated forest turnout. That could expand the pool of possible witnesses and camera footage, though officials have not said whether either has already shaped the investigation.
The review is being handled by the Clackamas County Major Crimes Team along with the Clackamas County District Attorney’s Office. That signals the case has moved out of the hands of the officers directly involved and into a broader evidence-gathering process. Investigators are expected to document the scene, review ballistic and forensic evidence, identify all officers who discharged weapons and determine whether the force used was legally justified. It is not yet known when those findings will be made public. Authorities also have not announced whether involved officers have been removed from patrol duties pending the investigation, a step that often but not always follows fatal shootings. The next procedural milestones are likely to include formal identification of the dead man, notification of relatives, medical examiner findings and a more detailed statement from investigators or prosecutors.
For now, the public picture is defined as much by absence as by fact. The known facts show a short pursuit, a stop near a Welches landmark and a fatal shooting at the end. The missing facts concern intent, threat and decision-making in the seconds after the vehicle stopped. Those are the details that often decide whether an officer-involved shooting is seen as justified, preventable or somewhere in between. Until investigators release more, the event remains a stark and unfinished story on a mountain highway that many Oregonians know well: a suspected DUI stop that escalated quickly, ended violently and left one man dead before the cause of the gunfire was publicly explained.
As of Monday, officials had not released the man’s name or a fuller account of the confrontation, and the next update is expected after initial evidence review and family notification.
Author note: Last updated April 13, 2026.