BEND, Oregon – A gunman who killed 2 people before taking his own life at a grocery store in Bend Sunday reportedly planned to shoot up his old high school but changed plans.
Around 7:00 p.m. on Sunday, Aug. 28, Bend Police responded to multiple 911 calls reporting shots fired at the Forum Shopping Center in northeast Bend. Those calls included information that at least one person was shooting in the parking lot of Costco and Big Lots before entering the west entrance of Safeway.
Bend Police officers arrived on scene within two to three minutes of the dispatched call. They could hear gunfire coming from the Safeway. Officers simultaneously entered the store from different entrances, running toward the shooter as shots were still being fired. Four minutes elapsed from the time of the first dispatch until officers reported to dispatch that the suspected shooter was down.
One person, identified as 84-year-old Glenn Edward Bennett, was shot inside the west entrance. Officers and medics with Bend Fire & Rescue rendered aid at the scene. Medics transported Bennett, but he did not survive his injuries.
The shooter continued firing as he moved through the store before encountering Safeway employee Donald Ray Surrett, Jr., a 66-year-old Bend resident, in the produce section of the store. Police believe Surrett engaged with the shooter and attempted to disarm him, potentially helping to save additional lives. Surrett was shot and died from his injuries at the scene.
The shooter was dead from a self-inflicted gunshot wound at the scene. An AR-15-style rifle, as well as a shotgun, were found near the shooter. Bend Police did not fire any shots. Police also received reports of at least two people who sustained non-life-threatening injuries.
In a manifesto posted to Wattpad, the suspected shooter, Ethan Blair Miller, 20, wrote “I’m a blood-thirsty, evil fucking psychopath.” Adding, “I CAN’T WAIT ANY LONGER. The rage has become uncontrollable.”
“If you’re reading this then I’m definitely DEAD and have just committed a ‘NATIONAL TRAGEDY.’ I’ve left this journal for all the investigators, Media, Internet Sleuths, etc. but most importantly this is for the VERY FEW people that I actually care about and want to understand why and how this happened so that they can be at peace. I’m gonna lay it all out for you all so that by the end of all of this you will all understand why I did what I did. What you’ll see here is the documentation and description of the Months, Weeks, Days from Today up until The Massacre.
Well then I guess I should tell you all a little bit about myself yeah? Not much that’s noteworthy and most of the stuff about my birth and early life (Ahhhh back when things were much much simpler) is gonna be pretty easy to find. I’ve changed A LOT since then, Obviously lol. The real changes started a little over two years ago when COVID first started to become a global thing. God that still f****** p***** me off.
I still cannot believe that the entire world fell for that. The virus itself was real and deadly but instead of actually coming up with a real solution to the problem they (meaning the Tyrannical U.S. GOVERNMENT) instead USED the problem to create mass hysteria and panic among us (Meaning the people of AMERICA) and then forced us into isolation and loneliness for a SIGNIFICANT amount of time.
I still haven’t been able to pull myself out of that state. Despite numerous attempts at getting back into MMA, which I still love so dearly and always will, Despite numerous attempts at new jobs, despite numerous attempts at finding love once again, despite numerous attempts at being social and trying to make new friendships they have proved futile. So now we’re here. I hope that this journal can give you all a sense of peace and closure. But the world has made this happen. I am responsible for this, but I was turned into a monster. I created this Tragedy. But Society created Me.
The investigation is ongoing.
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