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Police: Oregon kidnap suspect killed 2 men before cornered

Feb 1, 2023 | 3:13 PM

SALEM, Ore. (AP) — The suspect in a violent kidnapping in Oregon — a man who spent little time behind bars for a similar crime in Nevada — killed two men before being cornered by officers and fatally shooting himself, police said Wednesday.

Benjamin Obadiah Foster, 36, died at a hospital Tuesday night, hours after he shot himself while hiding in a crawlspace underneath a house in Grants Pass. In a news conference Wednesday, law enforcement officers revealed details on the intensive manhunt for Foster, including finding the bodies of two men in a rural area north of Grants Pass.

The two men lived together in the unincorporated community of Sunny Valley and apparently did not know Foster, who left a gruesome scene and stole some of the victims’ belongings, including their dog, police said.