New details are emerging in the Oct. 4 shooting on West Main Street in Molalla, including the suspect’s prior history with law enforcement and the impact of Monday’s destructive rampage, in which — fortunately — no one was killed.
Brian Scott Mills, 48, was arrested Monday afternoon and faces numerous charges related to the incident, including attempted aggravated murder, attempted first-degree assault, second-degree assault and multiple counts of unlawful use of a weapon and recklessly endangering. His bail is set at $1 million.
Though no one was killed or even seriously hurt in the standoff between the suspect and Molalla Police, court documents filed in the case this week shared terrifying new details beyond what was known in the immediate wake of the chaos Monday morning.
According to police accounts and the assistant district attorney prosecuting his case, Mills allegedly began the assault using a .50-caliber rifle — a military-grade weapon preferred by snipers and known for its ability to penetrate heavily armored targets even at long range.
“These are the same caliber that the military uses to pierce armored body vehicles during the war,” Clackamas County Senior Deputy District Attorney Scott Healy said during Mills’ first appearance in Clackamas County court Tuesday, as first reported by KATU’s Wright Gazaway.
Wright Gazaway on Twitter: “Here is a view from the sky via Google Maps. Mills’ home is the red dot. The grocery store is now in the big field with a blue star. 710 W Main St, where a bullet went through a 15-year old girl’s room, is the blue star on the right side. Main St. is the Hwy 211 pic.twitter.com/VPuPpUc2qB / Twitter”
Here is a view from the sky via Google Maps. Mills’ home is the red dot. The grocery store is now in the big field with a blue star. 710 W Main St, where a bullet went through a 15-year old girl’s room, is the blue star on the right side.
Mills allegedly fired that weapon at the vehicle of a construction worker that the family had allowed to park in their drive — but that police had asked to move earlier that morning — resulting in shrapnel hitting the driver’s back and neck.
The driver — the only injury reported in the shooting — was treated at Providence Willamette Falls Hospital in Oregon City and released later that day.
Mills also allegedly fired rounds toward the crowded parking lot of the newly opened Grocery Outlet and Dollar Tree and at a nearby house — where a bullet penetrated the bedroom of a 15-year-old girl while she was still inside, court records show. Fortunately, she was unharmed.
Another bullet reportedly went through the window of a Molalla patrol car that was unoccupied at the time. No officers were injured in the shooting. One officer returned fire Monday and has been placed on administrative leave according to department policy.
Mills is the registered owner of two businesses listed at his home, one a security services firm (Oregon Protective Services LLC) and the other a gunsmith and firearm and ammunition retail company. Officers reportedly uncovered a “massive amount of guns and weapons” at Mills’ residence following his arrest.
Wright Gazaway on Twitter: “One of the companies tied to Mills’ address is Oregon Protective Services, a home alarm and security company. Mills is licensed as a security guard with the state, but the state agency responsible for security says he is “the subject of an open Professional Standards case.” pic.twitter.com/foyz7UrU9Q / Twitter”
One of the companies tied to Mills’ address is Oregon Protective Services, a home alarm and security company. Mills is licensed as a security guard with the state, but the state agency responsible for security says he is “the subject of an open Professional Standards case.” pic.twitter.com/foyz7UrU9Q
In January of this year, the Clackamas County Sheriff’s Office denied Mills’ application for a change of address on his concealed handgun license, citing a prior incident with the Molalla Police Department.
The letter from Sheriff Angela Brandenburg also revoked Mills’ existing CCHL permit, requiring him to turn in to the sheriff’s office, though he later attempted to appeal the decision in circuit court.
Mills is also licensed as a security guard with the state, but the Oregon Department of Public Safety Standards and Training suspended him last month due to an investigation unrelated to this week’s shooting.
