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Fatal shooting near Snively Hot Springs under investigation

A state crime scene investigator clears police tape from a campground south of Snively Hot Springs where the Malheur County Sheriff’s Office is investigating a shooting late Monday night. (Max Egener/The Enterprise)

UPDATE: MALHEUR COUNTY SHERIFF BRIAN WOLFE SAID TODAY THAT THE VICTIM IN THE SHOOTING INCIDENT NEAR SNIVELY HOT SPRINGS WAS A 65-YEAR-OLD OROFINO IDAHO MAN. WOLFE SAID THE NAME OF THE VICTIM IS BEING WITHHELD UNTIL THE MAN’S RELATIVES CAN BE CONTACTED.

A campground dispute south of Adrian turned deadly Monday night when a man was shot to death, according to the Malheur County Sheriff’s Office.

In a news release, Sheriff Brian Wolfe said the Malheur County Sheriff’s Dispatch received a call at midnight from a female subject who had been flagged down by two adults and three children.

The two adults reported they had been “jumped” by a man with a gun.

According to Wolfe, the unidentified man drove up to the camp of two adults with children. A struggle broke out, the gun went off, and the intruder was struck and died.

Investigators from the Malheur County Major Crimes Team are investigating the case. The team includes investigators from Malheur County law enforcement agencies and the district attorney’s office.

The informal campground is on a dirt road off Owyhee Lake Road approximately 1 mile south of Snively Hot Springs on the banks of the Owyhee River. The area about a 10-mile drive from Adrian has fire pits and spots to pitch tents or park RVs.

By 1:15 p.m. on Tuesday, law enforcement had left the scene. Prior to leaving, an Oregon State Trooper, a State Police forensics truck, and county deputies stood by as an RV and a Toyota car were towed away.