Tynan Frank

In the cold, early hours of November 17, 2025, a family disturbance at a home in the small town of Union, Oregon, ended in a fatal shooting. Tynan Frank, a 40-year-old white man, was killed outside the house he shared with his father. The incident began around 1:30 a.m. when dispatchers received a call about a disturbance. The caller, however, asked that deputies not respond, fearing their presence would only agitate the situation. A deputy went to the area anyway and observed Tynan and his father, Richard Frank, outside the residence. Seeing no crime in progress, the deputy monitored them from a distance for about 30 minutes before leaving.

The quiet was broken again shortly after 3 a.m. when a neighbor called 911 to report the sound of gunshots. Around the same time, the original caller reported that the disturbance had resumed but again requested no immediate law enforcement response. As more calls about gunfire came in, deputies were dispatched back to the home. This time, they found Tynan lying dead on the ground outside from at least one gunshot wound.

The Union County Major Crimes Team, a regional task force including the Union County Sheriff’s Office, the District Attorney’s Office, Oregon State Police, and the La Grande Police Department, was activated to investigate the homicide. Detectives brought Richard Frank, then 67, to the sheriff’s office, where he agreed to be interviewed. According to the probable cause declaration filed later, Richard told investigators that he and his son had been in a physical fight. He stated that after shooting at Tynan as he fled and fell, he fired a shotgun at close range into the back of his son’s head. Following the interviews, authorities arrested Richard Frank and booked him into the Union County jail on a charge of second-degree murder.

Richard Frank made his first court appearance on November 18, 2025, where a judge ordered him to be held without bail. During the emotional arraignment, Richard’s wife and Tynan’s mother, Lynda Frank, addressed the court. She said her son was a blessing "when he wasn’t using" but could exhibit "violent, impulsive behavior." She pleaded for her husband’s release, stating he was not a threat to the community. The judge also ordered a mental health consultation for Richard due to concerns he was not eating or drinking while in custody.

In January 2026, Richard's attorney filed a motion for his release to house arrest pending trial. At a hearing on February 5, a visiting judge denied the motion, ruling that Richard would remain in the Union County Jail without bail. On February 24, 2026, Richard Frank entered a formal plea of not guilty to the second-degree murder charge. As of that month, the case was pending trial while attorneys worked to gather evidence, including the official autopsy report.