Oregon teen kills two men during Blue Mountains hunting trip

A 14-year-old boy on a deer hunting trip shot and killed two others in the hunting party at a cabin in the Blue Mountains of northeastern Oregon, then accidentally shot and wounded himself, authorities said Thursday.

Authorities would not say whether they think the shooting of the two men was an accident or intentional, or whether the shooting occurred inside or outside the cabin. They were all part of a group staying at the cabin.

The teenager fled after shooting the men but then apparently accidentally shot himself in the leg and returned to the cabin for help, Grant County Sheriff Glenn Palmer said in a statement. Another member of the group held the boy at gunpoint, forced him to get on the floor, then taped him to a chair.

The timing of the shootings was unclear, but police were dispatched before 1 a.m. Thursday and “took charge of the crime scene” and the boy, the statement said. Deputies were called to the scene by the cabin’s owner, who had fled to the nearby town of Granite, authorities said.

The boy and the two victims – ages 43 and 64 – were from the Baker City area, about 25 miles east of Granite, the sheriff’s office said. Authorities did not say how many people were in the hunting party or whether any of them were related.

Authorities said the boy was taken by ambulance to a hospital in Baker City, then flown to St. Alphonsus Hospital in Boise.

Palmer declined to answer questions about a possible motive or the relationship between the boy and the two men. He said it likely would be this morning before any names are released, after the victims’ families have been notified.