PORTLAND, Ore. (KOIN) — A man wanted for unrelated felonies from 2018 was identified by the Washington County Sheriff’s Office as the person who shot 2 deputies near Hagg Lake last week.
Dante James Halling, 56, remains hospitalized. He was taken into custody after being wounded in a shootout with the deputies and authorities said “there is no update on his condition.”
Halling hasn’t yet been charged in the shootings, but he’s being held on 2 separate felony warrants, one for violating probation on an attempted assault and the other for a parole violation.
Two photos were released of Halling on Monday. The mug shot is from Multnomah County in 2018 and the other was taken Thursday near Hagg Lake before the gunfire .
Sgt. Danny DiPietro with the Washington County Sheriff’s Office said they hope these pictures find more people who can place Halling in the previous weeks.
“Within the last couple of weeks is the most pertinent information. We’re hoping putting out that mugshot from last year but also the photo from right before the incident he has a very unique backpack, jacket on,” DiPietro said. “We’re hoping somebody will recognize that stuff and remember where they saw him.”
The events of August 8
The shootout happened not long after a homeowner in the 54700 block of SW Scoggins Valley Road in Gaston reported a man wearing camouflage clothing stole guns from the property at 2:15 p.m., officials said.
The thief took 2 firearms — both “long guns” — from a locked gun cabinet outside of the home and then walked off into the woods, according to deputies.
The deputies were shot off SW Scoggins Valley Road near the north end of Hagg Lake hours after starting a search for a suspect wanted for stealing guns, according to the Washington County Sheriff’s Office.
The suspect, who was also shot, was taken into custody around 6 p.m., authorities said.
Therese Rice lives across the street from where 2 guns were stolen. She told KOIN 6 News she spotted a man she’d never seen before walking toward her road.
Later in the afternoon she returned home and saw law enforcement swarming her normally quiet community.
“And then we heard the 2 sets of rapid gunfire… quite a bit of gunfire,” Rice said. “People target shoot out here sometimes. This wasn’t that.”
Three people were taken for treatment — one by Life Flight and 2 by ambulance. Both deputies are expected to survive. One deputy has already been released from the hospital.
Previous run-ins with the law
In September 2015, Halling pleaded guilty to 2 counts of attempted assault and one count of burglary. He was sentenced to 36 months in prison, 5 years of probation and 3 years of post-prison supervision, the Multnomah County DA’s Office said.
In September 2018, a warrant was issued for a violation of his probation. Another warrant was issued in December 2018.