Teen, two high school coaches dead in Oregon murder-suicide

(Reuters) - Two volunteer high school wrestling coaches and a 14-year-old who was about to start high school were killed, and a woman was injured, in an apparent murder-suicide in the eastern Oregon town of Hermiston, the police chief said on Friday.

Kenneth Valdez, 44, was found shot dead at his home on Thursday, and a 35-year-old woman, whom police have not identified, was shot and injured. Jason Huston, 45, was also found dead in the same home, after apparently shooting Valdez and then himself, Chief Jason Edmiston said by telephone.

Huston and Valdez were lifelong friends and volunteered together as wrestling coaches as Hermiston High School, Edmiston said.

Teenaged James "JJ" Hurtado was found dead on Thursday night in a remote area outside of town, the police chief said. Hurtado was the son of the injured woman and Huston had been a father figure to him, the police said.

Hurtado had last been seen with Huston who had picked him up to take him to a park, the Eastern Oregonian newspaper reported, citing police.

"We are heartbroken to know that James 'JJ' Hurtado was found dead yesterday. JJ, an incoming freshman and student athlete, participated in cross country and wrestling," the Hermiston High School said on its website. The school said crisis counselors would be available on Friday to speak with students and staff.

The woman is in the hospital in stable condition, Edmiston said.

"We are still trying to ferret out the motive," Edmiston said. "Clearly this is a tragic event ... and it has impacted not only the family and all of the detectives, but this entire community."

(Reporting by Fiona Ortiz in Chicago; Editing by Cynthia Osterman)

You May Also Be Interested In

• Factbox-Trump has slight edge over Biden in U.S. swing-state election polls
• RTX profit jumps 20% on aviation strength, military demand
• Buy now, pay later lender Affirm pushes into elective medical procedures