EUGENE, Ore. — The man accused of killing a Eugene resident before being shot and wounded by police on Saturday had been released from prison just eight days before the incident, according to state and local public records.
David Justo Duran, 32, is alleged to have killed 36-year-old Donald Bruce Rivers at Rivers’ home at West 13th Avenue and Washington Street about 4:30 a.m. Saturday, according to the Lane County District Attorney’s Office. Lane County Circuit Court and Oregon Department of Corrections records showed that Duran had been released from prison on June 22.
Duran allegedly had been pounding on the door of Rivers’ home and attempting to break in when Rivers confronted him and was stabbed in the neck and shoulder, police said. When Eugene police rushed to the scene, Duran was found in a residential yard on West 13th Avenue still holding the knife, police have said.
The two officers who located and confronted Duran were identified Tuesday by the Lane County District Attorney’s Office as Sgt. Michael Ware, a nine-year employee of the Eugene Police Department, and Joshua West, a four-year employee of Eugene police.
Ware and West repeatedly told Duran to drop the knife, Eugene police have said, before using a Taser on him. When the Taser was unsuccessful, Duran was shot and wounded. He was taken to the hospital from the scene.
Citing “security purposes,” the district attorney’s office declined to give Duran’s current location. Duran is not listed as an inmate on the Lane County Jail’s website.
Both Ware and West are on administrative leave, which is standard procedure in officer-involved shootings.
The Lane County District Attorney’s Office said Duran was a recent resident of Eugene.
In 2015, Duran pleaded guilty in court to charges of first-degree burglary and menacing for a 2014 incident that involved a Springfield woman, according to court records. Duran received a 30-day sentence for each of the two charges and was placed on three years of probation at that time, the records show. However, less than a year later, Duran’s probation was revoked because he failed to abstain from drugs or alcohol, failed to check in with a probation officer and had contact with the victim, a violation of his probation, court records show.
He then was sentenced to three years in prison with credit for time served and three years of probation, court records show. He’s on probation until June 21, 2021, an Oregon Department of Corrections employee confirmed Tuesday.
