Man accused of shooting into traffic on I-5 claims ‘people were out to get him’

The man accused of

opening fire on random motorists

on Interstate 5 in Washington County last month hit two cars with bullets and injured a man, court records say.

Jason Duane Duncan, 44, faces charges of attempted murder, assault, reckless endangerment, unlawful use of a weapon and criminal mischief, according to court records.

He has pleaded not guilty.

One driver who was hit said he heard an explosion as his windshield partially shattered around 6:15 a.m., court records say.

He later told police that he thought a rock hit his car, but he soon realized that his right ear was bleeding.

The man pulled off at the next exit and flagged down a Clackamas County Sheriff’s Office deputy, who then called Oregon State Police, court records show.

The Oregon State Police trooper found bullet holes in the middle of the car’s rear windshield and another hole near the driver’s side of the front windshield. Police also found a bullet fragment in the car, court records say.

Shortly after, police got another call from a man who said that his car had been struck by gunfire around 6:40 a.m., court records show.

The man told police that he heard a loud bang and thought he’d hit something in the road, but when he arrived at work he found a bullet hole in the lid of his trunk, court records show. He also found pieces of a bullet inside his car, near the passenger side compartment, court documents say.

Oregon State Police troopers scoured the highway for the alleged shooter and found Duncan still parked on the side of the interstate, court records say.

Duncan told the troopers that he had multiple guns in his car — including two rifles — and claimed that he’d been stuck on the side of the highway since he ran out of gas around 5 a.m.

He told police that he was annoyed that no one stopped when he tried to flag down help, and felt like “people were out to get him.”

Duncan allegedly told the officers at the scene that he hadn’t shot any of his guns, but police found six bullet casings on the ground near his car, court records say. In later interviews with investigators, he allegedly changed his story, admitting that he’d shot his rifle several times, but didn’t know if he had hit anything, court documents show.

People who knew Duncan later told investigators that he has schizophrenia, court records say.

Duncan has no previous convictions, but is facing charges in a separate case for allegedly making false police reports in January 2024.

— Tatum Todd is a breaking news reporter who covers public safety, crime and community news. Reach them at ttodd@oregonian.com or 503-221-4313.

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