David Durham Wanted: Ore. Town Getting Back To Normal Despite Alleged Shooter's Wandering Ways
(CBS/KOIN/AP) The tiny town of Waldport, Ore. is trying to return to normal following last week's manhunt for David Anthony Durham, a 43-year-old Portland man accused of shooting and critically wounding a police officer.
For four days, Waldport was swarming with dozens of police as three SWAT teams combed for clues about Durham's whereabouts. The mystery lingers.
Police hope fresh clues will come via television's "America's Most Wanted," which mentioned the case Saturday night. Lincoln City Police Lt. Jerry Palmer said officers fielded two tips following the program. But he said neither appeared likely to lead to Durham, and he urged people to be vigilant and report suspicious activity.
In Waldport, everyone has a theory about what happened to the suspect. Maybe he slipped under the bridge and hiked up the Alsea River. Perhaps he walked up the beach and escaped behind officers searching for him. He could've tried to swim across the frigid water of Alsea Bay. Or maybe he's lying low in a well-stocked vacation home that was abandoned for the brutal Oregon coastal winter.
A day earlier, authorities scaled back their search for Durham, leaving behind only enhanced patrols. SWAT teams, called in from out of town, have gone home.
"We want the citizens to return to their normal activities and get back to some normalcy," said Lt. Curtis Landers of the Lincoln County Sheriff's Office.
According to CBS affiliate KOIN, family members describe Durham as an avid outdoorsman who designs his own camouflage clothing. They said he became delusional after taking pain medication for an injured shoulder.
Officer Steven Dodds, 45, remained in a Portland hospital recovering from gunshot wounds to his pelvis and abdomen. Doctors say he would have died from the injuries if he hadn't been rushed to the hospital for surgery after managing to call in the shooting to dispatchers.
Police say Dodds was shot Sunday night, Jan. 23, when he approached a driver, believed to be Durham, on a traffic stop.
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