Linn County deputies seek hunter after fatal shooting near Sweet Home

WatchLinn County deputies seek hunter after fatal shooting near Sweet Homeby News Staff

Linn County deputies seek hunter after fatal shooting near Sweet Home (Photo Courtesy Linn County Sheriff's Office)Comment on this story0CommentShare storySharetopics: Linn CountySweet HomeFatal shootingHunterSpringer RoadSheriff’s OfficeInvestigationTrail camerasSWEET HOME, Ore. — A 54-year-old Sweet Home man died after investigators believe he was accidentally shot by a hunter Saturday evening near Sweet Home, and the Linn County Sheriff’s Office (LCSO) is asking the public for help identifying the hunter involved.

Linn County Sheriff Michelle Duncan said the sheriff’s office dispatch center received a 911 call at about 5:48 p.m. on Saturday, Oct. 10, 2026, reporting a shooting at a residence in the 24000 block of Springer Road near Sweet Home.

Deputies arrived and found Robert Alan Church, 54, suffering from a gunshot wound. Deputies and Sweet Home Fire Department paramedics attempted lifesaving measures, but Church died at the scene, LCSO said.

Investigators believe Church was struck by a bullet fired by a hunter on Springer Road. The hunter partially field dressed a deer and then left the area with it, according to the sheriff’s office.

The investigation is ongoing. LCSO is asking anyone who was in the relevant area of Springer Road, accessed from Upper Calapooia Drive or Childers Drive near Brush Creek Road, on the evening of Oct. 10 to contact Detective Derek Klein at 541-967-3950.

Investigators are especially interested in information about vehicles seen parked along Springer Road, anyone seen with a deer, gunshots heard around that time, and any trail camera or surveillance footage from the area.