Man Charged with Murder for Shooting in Yamhill

It all happened in the small town of Yamhill, Oregon.

67-year old Richard Robert Mershon is being held in the Yamhill County jail on multiple charges.

(SALEM, Ore.) - A 67-year old man was arrested this afternoon on two counts of Attempted Murder, and one count each of Assault in the First Degree, Unlawful Use of a Firearm, Menacing, and Harassment.

According to the Yamhill County jail roster, he has been charged with Murder as of this report.

Last Friday night at about 9:00, after Yamhill Police Officer Travis Vancleave was dispatched to a report of a fight in progress, involving a firearm at Zippy's Pizza, in Yamhill.

The suspect, Richard R Mershon, was reported to have gotten into an argument with a man that led to a physical fight. The physical fight quickly turned into a shooting, by a man that had been drinking.

Male victim number one told Police he had witnessed the suspect push a pregnant female, and she may have fallen down. The woman was apparently an employee of Zippy's Pizza, who had been trying to help give the suspect a ride home because he was intoxicated.

Mershon then became aggressive and "just started swinging" when the first male victim intervened and tried to take away the suspect's keys.

During the struggle, the suspect was quoted as saying "I'm going to shoot you!" to the first victim, removing a firearm from his waist and pointing it at the male victim number one's chest.

The first male victim said he thought he was "dead" and didn't know how he had not been hit when the gun went off. He also added he didn't know why or how he was still alive. He said he heard two shots go off before he fled the scene and then one or two more after he left.

The man later stated that, during the fight, the suspect fired his gun two or three times, "about a foot from my chest" and didn't know how he wasn't shot.

A second victim, 27-year old David Trivelpiece, was walking across the street with two other men when the first couple shots were fired and he ran to help. Another struggle ensued, now between Trivelpiece and the suspect.

Trivelpiece sustained a gunshot wound to the left side of his neck and was laying on the ground when Officer Vancleave arrived on scene.

When Officer Vancleave arrived, he saw the suspect, identified as Richard Mershon, standing next to his vehicle, holding a 9mm semiautomatic pistol in his right hand. David Trivelpiece (victim two) was lying motionless on the ground directly next to where the suspect had been standing before turning around to address the police officer.

According to the Probable Cause statement, Mershon began walking towards Officer Vancleave, holding the firearm out and away from his right side with the barrel pointed towards Olive Street.

"He was covered in blood and complied with my commands to drop the firearm and then was placed into hand restraints," said Officer Vancleave.

The officer then secured the firearm, cleared it and found it loaded with a total of four rounds, three rounds in the magazine and one in the chamber. Police found two spent 9mm shell casings at the scene.

"Other witnesses at the scene reported hearing gun shots after victim number two (David Trivelpiece) approached the suspect. They told me that victim number two needed medical attention and had been shot by the suspect," said Officer Vancleave.

"After detaining the suspect, I was able to assess victim number two, who was semi-conscious, having difficulty breathing and was semi-alert, asking for help."

The suspect appeared to have suffered a non-life threatening gunshot wound and was transported for medical treatment.

David Trivelpiece was transported to OHSU with life threatening injuries and remains hospitalized. As of the date of this report, he still has a bullet lodged in the spine near his neck and is suffering from paralysis on his left side and limited mobility on his right, according to Police.

The suspect, Mershon was released from the hospital today, and immediately taken into custody.

This investigation is ongoing. The City of Yamhill Police Department is investigating this incident with the assistance of the Yamhill County Major Crime Response Team, with members consisting of the Yamhill County District Attorney's Office, the Oregon State Police, the Newberg-Dundee Police Department, the McMinnville Police Department, the Carlton Police Department, and the Yamhill County Sheriff's Office.

Sources: Yamhill County Sheriff's Office; Yamhill Police Dept.

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