Residents stunned by shooting, but still feel safe at Bush's Pasture Park in Salem

This story was updated at 11 a.m. Saturday

The Upper Leffelle area of Bush's Pasture Park was back to normal Friday morning, with walkers, joggers and dogs enjoying the expansive trails and oak woodlands.

Some came from a block away, others from across town to take advantage of a community treasure with no visible signs of the tragedy that unfolded Thursday.

A shooting involving a group of juveniles ended with one dead and two injured in the southwest corner of the park off Leffelle Street SE.

Police on Friday afternoon identified the deceased as Jose Vasquez-Valenzuela, 16, and reported the two other gunshot victims remained hospitalized. A 15-year-old was treated at nearby Salem Health, and a 16-year-old initially was treated there before being taken to a Portland-area hospital.

A 16-year-old turned himself in to police late Friday night in connection to the shooting. He faces multiple charges, including second-degree degree murder.

The incident left the community stunned. Several people at the park this morning could not believe it happened.

The 90.5-acre park is a 10-minute walk from downtown Salem and the Oregon State Capitol, featuring playgrounds, trails, historic buildings, sports fields and flower gardens. It sits on what was the Asahel Bush estate, is part of a historic district, and is famous for its groves of Oregon White Oaks and fields of camas.

But on Thursday, it became a crime scene.

“Here, in Bush Park?” said Marya Hunsinger, who was walking alone not far from where the juvenile died. “This is the safest place to walk, I’ve always thought that.”

She heard about the shooting but did not know details. She has lived in Salem 30 years and drives to Bush's Pasture Park three to four times a week to walk.

Locals believe it was the first shooting at the park in at least 30 years. Shootings have taken place at other city parks, including Englewood Park in 2019 and 2020. The 2019 shooting left a 16-year-old dead.

Danger at Bush's Pasture Park in recent years has been limited to the Proud Boys marching through in 2020 on their way to the Governor's mansion, wearing body armor and carrying weapons, and an "Angry Owl" harassing joggers and walkers in 2015 and last December.

Allen Sawdey lives outside the neighborhood but takes advantage of the park's trails and grassy areas to walk his three dogs, a pair of Siberian huskies and a rat terrier dachshund mix. He said he has seen increased graffiti at the park but has always felt safe.

John MacVicar was surprised to see the police tape removed and no law enforcement presence at the park. He stopped by after dropping his son off at South Salem High School, where a police officer was stationed outside during drop-off Friday morning. His nephew also attends South. Both are freshman.

"They were nervous to go to school and bummed out that they knew some of the kids," MacVicar said. "In my youth, we all met up at the statue (in the park), would bring our gloves, and settle our differences. But times have changed. It's sad to see life treated so carelessly."

Salem-Keizer Public Schools later confirmed the teenager who died at the scene was a sophomore at South Salem.

MacVicar received a panicked call from his son at around 1:50 p.m. Thursday. His son was in home room, where they pushed refrigerators in front of the door.

"I could hear the intercom go off, I could hear kids kind of rustling around and freaking out," MacVicar said. "It was quite dramatic to hear from him on this side say, 'It’s a Code 3. There’s a shooter.'

"Then I could hear the officer in the background going room to room, telling them that they were deescalating the situation and the threat is not inside the school."

MacVicar said he later tried to ease his son and nephew's fears.

"It’s so important for me to just sit there and listen. I can’t talk them out of their anxieties," he said. "This is a new norm, and it’s a terrible, terrible, thing to let our kids know that this happens, but it’s important to not let fear guide their life."

Residents who live near Bush's Pasture Park had a mix of emotions. One woman did not want to give her name but mentioned a previously scheduled South Central Association of Neighbors (SCAN) meeting Wednesday evening at South Salem High School to address the park's graffiti problem in the park.

Rob Kimmich, who lives a block and a half away, said he was glad to see the park open and the police tape gone.

"I have my grandchildren (ages 8 and 3) coming to visit today, and I feel safe bringing them to the park," Kimmich said. "But, I am readjusting my views of seeing adolescents in the park. I feel a little more strengthened — I walk here a lot — to actually pay more attention."

Capi Lynn is a senior reporter for the Statesman Journal. Send comments, questions and tips to her at clynn@statesmanjournal.com, or follow her work on Twitter @CapiLynn and Facebook @CapiLynnSJ.

This article originally appeared on Salem Statesman Journal: Residents stunned by shooting, still feel safe at Salem park