Deadly hostage situation at Springfield-area day care rattles neighbors: 'It's very unsettling'

In a quiet neighborhood with large houses lining Ash Street just north of Dorris Ranch, neighbors are still processing the deadly standoff between police and a man who allegedly took his partner hostage in their basement and threatened to kill her. 

On Sept. 12, police responded to a standoff at a home day care south of Springfield that left 50-year-old Robert Harris shot and killed by deputies and the woman hostage with non-life-threatening injuries from a gunshot wound, according to the Lane County Sheriff’s Office. 

More:Police identify man shot dead during standoff at home day care near Springfield

Pete Bailey lives across the street from where the standoff incident happened and said he was apprehensive as he watched officers set with rifles aimed at the basement windows.

“It makes you anxious when you see a whole street full of cop cars and SWAT teams and all that. It's very unsettling,” he said. “It’s something I never figured would happen in this neighborhood.”

Children get out of home safely 

The standoff began at around 4 p.m. Sept. 12, after the Lane County Sheriff’s Office received the call from the home day care Tiny Tots to Toddlers just north of Dorris Ranch. The caller said his stepfather was assaulting his mother, according to the Lane County Sheriff’s Office. 

According to neighbor Caleb McKinney, the 11-year-old son of the hostage played a crucial role in the incident by calling 911 after getting home from school and helping the children in the home's day care get out of the house safely. 

“He is an amazing kid,” McKinney said. "Thank goodness he got home when he did and, as best as it could, the timing lined up just right to get the kids out." 

Not long after the first wave of police cars arrived, McKinney said he saw all of the children file out of the house and toward the officers. 

“Literally from the time (police cars) pulled up, within probably 90 seconds I see all the kids coming straight out to the cars,” McKinney said.

Deputies evacuated seven children ages 1 to 11 from the home.

At around 4:20 p.m., police allege Harris said he had a gun and he was going to kill his hostage. 

After several hours of negotiations, two deputies fired shots and reported that the man was down, Sgt. Thomas Speldrich said in a news release.

The woman also suffered a gunshot wound to the abdomen and survived. It is not known if Harris had a gun or who shot the woman.

Deputies tried to perform life-saving measures on Harris, Speldrich said, but he did not survive.

District Attorney Patricia Perlow, whose office is overseeing the investigation by the Lane County Interagency Deadly Force Investigation Team, has not said who shot the hostage or if it's confirmed Harris had a gun. The investigation team is comprised of investigators from the Eugene and Springfield police departments, Lane County Sheriff’s Office and Oregon State Police.

The two county deputies who were placed on leave after firing their guns during the standoff were identified as Lukas Thomas and Arik Schenfeld.

Perlow said in an email she hopes to have an update and more details about the standoff and shooting to release soon.

McKinney eventually evacuated and allowed police to use his house as a staging area.

Bailey said he had a direct view and watched as officers pointed guns at the basement windows, before sending armed officers in earlier in the night. 

“They got the (basement) window open and one woman, I believe an officer, went inside, and they passed her a weapon, and then pretty soon another one went in,” Bailey said a few days after the incident.

The officers eventually came back outside, and McKinney said he watched as authorities searched around the outside of the house.

"They just kept kind of milling around trying to look into windows, going around the back and whatnot," he said.

At around 9:30 p.m. Bailey said he heard three or five shots. 

Woman known for friendly demeanor 

Neighbors described the woman who was taken hostage as friendly and a caring day care worker. 

Since meeting the woman three years ago, McKinney said the two neighbors became friends, sometimes having barbecues together.

McKinney heard from his neighbor that she is recovering, and he’s thankful she’s OK.

She is “one of the sweetest people,” he said, someone who prioritizes her children and the day care kids ahead of everything.

“She was great with the kids,” McKinney said. “I guarantee she absolutely would have done whatever she could to make sure the kids got out of there at whatever cost to her.” 

Bailey found the woman involved “was always friendly,” but that Harris was less so. 

 “He was kind of stand-offish, never really communicated,” Bailey said. 

While he wasn’t surprised there was an issue involving Harris, McKinney said he was shocked it went to this extent.

While startling, the violent incident in their neighborhood is an example of how it can happen anywhere, McKinney said. 

“Everybody says it: 'This doesn't happen here,’ and my exact response is, it doesn't matter if they are million dollar homes,” McKinney said. “It can happen anywhere.”

Louis Krauss covers breaking news for The Register-Guard. Contact him at lkrauss@registerguard.com, and follow him on Twitter @LouisKraussNews.