Content warning: This story contains descriptions of violence and death at the hands of law enforcement.
Allan Dale Warner Jr., a citizen of the Confederated Tribes of the Warm Springs, dreamed about one day getting a house big enough for his parents and five siblings to all live under the same roof — to bring his family together again.
“He loved his music,” his mom, Kristi Gilbert, a citizen of the Confederated Tribes of the Warm Springs, told Noeledrich + ICT. “He would sing for me on the phone. That was his dream: to be a singer and have all his siblings together.”
On Feb. 20, Warner, 26, was shot and killed by police responding to reports of a fight in Madras, Oregon, a small town of about 8,000 people.
The names of the officers involved have yet to be released. A third-party investigation is underway.
“He didn’t deserve what happened,” Gilbert said, emotion heavy in her voice. “His name is Allan Dale Warner Jr. and his life mattered.”
Witness accounts
On Feb. 20, the Oregon State Police, Jefferson County Sheriff’s Office and Madras Police Department responded to reports of a fight on Highway 97 in southern Madras, according to a press release. Just before 6 p.m., police used deadly force, killing Warner with a shot to the chest, according to video footage and media reports.
“As far as I know, my son was trying to walk away because he had just got beat up and he was walking home,” Gilbert said.
Videos from eye witnesses have been shared with other media outlets, showing the scene from multiple angles.
One video shows an officer dropping what looks like a firearm on the ground before stepping back. The firearm is dropped within Warner’s reach, who picks it up and appears to point it in the direction of law enforcement.
The videos show at least six officers confronting Warner.
“The cops set it down and backed up,” said Cera Clay in an interview with Central Oregon Daily News. “If they were trying to switch guns and switch their protective stuff, I don’t know why they didn’t set it behind them or put it back on their person. But they set it down, backed up, allowed the guy to pick it up, and then charged him again.”
Though she has not been able to bring herself to watch the videos of her son being shot by the police, Gilbert has had the moments described to her.
“Why would you drop a gun and then walk away from it?” Gilbert asked, referring to the moment Clay described.
“They didn’t have to shoot him in the chest; they could have shot him in the leg,” Gilbert continued through tears. “Anywhere else but the chest. They could have done that but they didn’t.”
The Central Oregon Major Incident Team responded to the scene. The team is composed of law enforcement personnel from Redmond Police Department, Oregon State Police, Deschutes County Sheriff’s Office, Bend Police Department, Prineville Police Department and the Oregon State Police forensic lab.
The Bend Police Department, located just an hour down the highway, is leading the third-party investigation.
Agencies involved in the Warner case will not comment as the investigation is ongoing.
“Under Oregon Law and local protocols, a death caused by law enforcement is seriously and meticulously investigated,” authorities said in a press release.
Oregon police officers killed 18 people while on duty in 2023, according to the state’s second use-of-force report. In 2022, Oregon police officers killed 23 people in the line of duty, according to the first-ever report. Data for 2024 is yet to be released.
In 2021, the Washington State Legislature created the Office of Independent Investigations (OII) as an organization to conduct investigations — independent of law enforcement — into cases involving deadly use of force by police. Oregon does not have a similar organization. According to its website, OII is unique to the nation.
“We are unable to comment specifically on the incident involving the Central Oregon Task Force since it is outside of our jurisdiction,” said Kimberly Garcia, an OII spokesperson. “However, the purpose of establishing Washington State’s Office of Independent Investigations (OII) is to ensure that transparent and unbiased investigations are conducted by an agency independent of law enforcement.”
“In Washington state, the structure of independent investigations are guided by policies,” Garcia continued, “designed to ensure unbiased and transparent investigations take place, which is one of the many reasons why OII was established — to have a new system.”
Justice for AJ
Across the country, Native American people face disproportionate rates of violence at the hands of law enforcement. Native American men had the highest rate of death at the hands of law enforcement, according to a 2020 report from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, which classifies death resulting from injuries inflicted by law enforcement as “legal intervention death.”
According to the report, Native American men are 6.2 times more likely to die at the hands of law enforcement than white males.
Gilbert and others from Warner’s community are calling for justice and accountability. For Gilbert, that would look like a change in how officers respond.
“It would look like the reprimand that should happen,” Gilbert said. “But honestly what I want is for officers to get training on mental health. I want the hatred to stop. I want the discrimination to stop.”
On Feb. 26, community members gathered in front of Madras City Hall. People wore red in honor of Warner and the epidemic of missing and murdered Indigenous relatives across Turtle Island. Chants of “Native Lives Matter” rang in the air.
People held signs with phrases such as “One Shot Was Enough,” “Say His Name,” and “We Want Justice for AJ.”
“Allan Dale Warner Jr.’s life mattered,” Gilbert said to the gathered crowd during the vigil, seen in a video aired by KTVZ. “That’s what we’re focusing on and that’s what we want answers for.”
Warner grew up in Warm Springs as the youngest of six. He played baseball and was a quiet kid, unless he was around his siblings, according to Gilbert. He lived most of his life in Warm Springs until he moved to Madras as a young adult.
“He had such a fun spirit around him,” Gilbert said. “He didn’t have a care in the world but being happy, being outgoing. Always trying to do something to help somebody else. And that just makes me so much more mad.”
In an interview with Noeledrich + ICT, Gilbert expressed frustration with the Bend Police Department leading the investigation. She wants to see greater transparency, including releasing the name of the officer who fired the shot that killed her son.
“Which one of you is working for justice for my son?” Gilbert said she asked during a meeting with the departments.
As she continues to call for answers, Gilbert created a fund to help pay for attorney fees.
“My son was a kind person,” Gilbert said. “He would literally give you the shirt off his back. Right now I would give anything to hear him one more time.”
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