The Medford Police Department has arrested a Grants Pass teenager for attempted murder and other crimes following an investigation into a weekend shooting at a local restaurant that critically injured another person.
On Friday at 11:25 p.m., an MPD officer was on routine patrol near the parking lot of Buffalo Wild Wings on Delta Waters Road when multiple gunshots were heard coming from the front of the restaurant.
According to MPD, the officer found a victim lying on the ground next to the front door and immediately began providing medical aid. Several individuals were seen running to a vehicle and then fleeing toward Highway 62.
A description of the suspect vehicle was broadcast to other officers who located and stopped it on Crater Lake Highway near Bullock Road. The vehicle occupants, including the suspected shooter -- 18-year-old Joseph Larry Lopez of Grants Pass -- were detained and interviewed.
Joseph Lopez was placed into custody and lodged at the Jackson County Jail for felony charges of Attempted Murder, Unlawful Use of a Weapon and 1st-Degree Assault. He was being held without bail.
Police believe that a confrontation between two groups of people precipitated the shooting.
As of Saturday, the unidentified victim was in critical condition and undergoing surgery. A Sunday night update stated the victim remains in very serious condition.
