Oregon man stalking ex-girlfriend shot dead by her family

‘Stalking is one of those crimes where law enforcement has a hard time doing anything,’ domestic violence expert says

An Oregon man allegedly stalking his ex-girlfriend has been shot to death by one of her family members.

Cody Buyas, 36, of Beavercreek south of Portland, died in a hospital on after he was shot on Sunday night near Sherwood, according to KATU2.

The Washington County Sheriff’s Office told the outlet that the altercation occurred just before 8pm and that Mr Buyas was “stalking an ex-girlfriend at her home” when members of her family discovered him.

Mr Buyas revealed that he had a weapon during a confrontation with the family members, one of whom discharged their firearm several times, investigators said.

Medical treatment was provided at the scene and the 36-year-old was taken to a trauma hospital in the area. Early on Monday, Mr Buyas was pronounced dead.

The family members are working with the authorities and no one has yet been arrested.

Domestic violence expert Dr Kathie Mathis told KATU2 that stalking takes place more than people think “because stalking is one of those crimes where law enforcement has a hard time doing anything, because it’s one person’s word against another person’s word”.

She added that a stalker may appear to be normal but “they’re not normal at all”.

“When that person tries to leave them, their whole mindset is, if I can’t have you, nobody can. And don’t you try to test me,” she said.

She said the ex-girlfriend may be okay physically but that “emotionally, psychologically, probably none of them are fine. There might be sleepless nights, nightmares, night terrors”.

The sheriff’s office hasn’t revealed the identity of the person who shot Mr Buyas and haven’t said what kind of firearm he showed the family, Oregon Live reported.

“No deputies or officers fired their weapons during this incident,” the office said in a statement. “Members of the Violent Crimes Unit, Washington County Major Crimes Team, and the Forensic Science Unit all responded to the scene to aid in the investigation.”

They urged anyone with information about Mr Buyas to call the office at 503-846-2700.