Salem police ID man accused of shooting ex in her home before killing himself near Detroit

PORTLAND, Ore. (KOIN) – The Salem Police Department has identified the man suspected of shooting and critically wounding a 31-year-old woman in Salem Tuesday morning.

Authorities say Phillip Wayne Johnson, 37, shot himself in his car after fleeing the house where he shot the woman, who remains in the hospital. The identity of the woman has yet to be released, but police say she and Johnson were once in a relationship.

The City of Detroit urged residents to stay inside and lock their doors after reporting that the shooting suspect was heading to the area to target the victim’s children, who attend Morningside Elementary School, police said. The school was temporarily in lockdown, which was lifted before 12:30 p.m.

Deputies with Marion County Sheriff’s Office say the man was then seen traveling eastbound on Highway 22 East, where officials were able to get the vehicle stopped just outside the city limits of Detroit.

“Deputies approached the vehicle and learned the suspect was deceased from an apparent self-inflicted gunshot wound,” police said.

The eastbound lanes of Highway 22 were closed for about seven hours while police investigated the scene, and reopened Tuesday night. The case is still under investigation.

The woman shot in her East Salem home is still in the hospital. It is not clear when she will be released.

Stay with KOIN 6 as this story develops.