ALBANY, Ore. (AP) - Police are trying to determine whether the killing of a 36-year-old recent arrival in Albany was linked to a string of break-ins, including two the night of the shooting.
Angela Stephenson was shot to death early Tuesday. Her 8-year-old son called 911 to report that his mother was bleeding on the kitchen floor of their apartment and the back door was unlocked.
Police say they haven’t established a motive, the Albany Democrat-Herald reported.
“We don’t know if it was stranger-based or if this was somebody known to our victim,” said Capt. Eric Carter.
Stephenson moved into town from nearby Jefferson a few months ago.
Albany police report 13 break-ins in recent weeks, including one in which a man armed with a pistol sexually assaulted a woman, and another in which a 6-year-old boy woke his mother to tell her someone was in the house.
Police released images from surveillance video of a “person of interest” who may be connected to the string of nighttime burglaries, but Carter said, “We have no idea his actual involvement in the case.”
The burglar or burglars have typically gained access through unlocked doors or open sliding glass doors and windows, in some cases popping off screens, police said. Some second-story apartments with balconies have been hit, and the crimes appear bold.
“People are home, obviously home in some cases,” said Lt. Travis Giboney.
The take includes electronics such as game systems, cash from purses, and other small items, he said. In two cases, car keys were stolen, and then the cars were taken.
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Information from: Albany Democrat-Herald, https://www.dhonline.com
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