Medford, OR – The 49-year-old Vincent Padgett, local resident, pled guilty to five counts of Attempted Murder in the First Degree, plus two counts of Felon in Possession of a Firearm. He was sentenced to 15 years in state prison, to be followed by five years of post-prison supervision.
Vincent Padgett tried to ambush and kill police officers in June. According to the police report, on June 5, five Medford Police officers were sent to an address in the 3000-block of Adams Circle after receiving a report that 49-year-old Vincent Padgett was threatening to kill his family members.
Padgett had prior felony convictions and was supposed to be barred from possessing guns. When the officers arrived, they took a tactical approach in case Mr. Padgett was armed.
One of the Medford Police Department officers spotted Padgett lying down in the bushes of his backyard, wearing body armor and holding an assault rifle. The officer behind Padgett told him to drop the rifle. Padgett temporarily obliged, but then set off a trio of smoke grenades. While the plume of smoke obscured the officers’ view, they reported hearing Padgett trying to cycle his rifle.
Despite the tense encounter, the officers were able to de-escalate the situation over several minutes until Padgett surrendered.
They found a loaded AR-15 rifle, 500 rounds of ammunition, a bulletproof vest, and night vision equipment. Another handgun with armor-piercing rounds was later found subsequent to the execution of a search warrant of Mr. Padgett’s residence.