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Eli Edward Reiter

Gender : Male

Age : 54

Race : White

Date : 06/07/2025

Location : Unincorporated community of Harper

City : Harper

County : Malheur

State : Oregon

Agency : Malheur County Sheriff's Office

Officer(s) :Not Disclosed

Cause of Death : Gunshot

Event : Killed by police during arrest

OPEN RECORDS SUMMARY :

On 06/07/2025, Malheur County Sheriff’s deputies responded to a report of an assault involving 54-year-old Eli Edward Reiter at a property in Harper, Oregon. Upon arrival, deputies stated that Reiter threw a piece of lumber at them. Officers deployed a taser, but it was reportedly ineffective. Police claim Reiter then got into a physical struggle with deputies, picked up a hammer, and began moving toward them. One deputy then fired his service weapon, striking Reiter. He was pronounced dead on the property.
Reiter was described by neighbors and local community members as a quiet man who largely kept to himself. Some who knew him shared that he had struggled with mental health issues in recent years and had become increasingly isolated. One local resident described him as “someone who needed help, not a hail of bullets,” expressing sadness that the situation escalated to deadly force rather than mental health intervention.

SOURCE LINKS :

https://www.kivitv.com/news/local-news/in-your-neighborhood/malheur-county/harper-man-shot-by-police-in-his-yard-on-saturday
https://www.ktvb.com/article/news/regional/police-shoot-suspect-in-oregon-crime/277-6bfccc10-eccf-4a4a7-bc70316d9fa8
https://www.argusobserver.com/free_access/sheriff-man-54-who-was-shot-by-deputy-had-assaulted-him-was-heading-toward-him/article_70dbbe20-822c-4a50-8479-0425b65dfbeb.html