On a crisp Sunday morning in the mountains near Halfway, Oregon, the life of Jon Marshall Nichols, a 62-year-old White / Caucasian male, was tragically cut short. It was November 10, 2024, and Nichols, an experienced hunting guide, was leading two clients on an elk hunt on private property along Fish Creek. The men, identified as 73-year-old Leroy George Trautman of Beaverton and 73-year-old Andrew Mark Krebs of Oregon City, were riding in a side-by-side vehicle with Nichols when they spotted a
herd of elk.
As the group exited the vehicle, Trautman began to chamber a round into his rifle. In a devastating turn of events, the firearm discharged, and the bullet struck Nichols in the back. Krebs immediately administered CPR in a desperate attempt to save him, but his efforts were unsuccessful. A 911 call was made from an emergency SOS device at approximately 7:53 a.m., reporting that a hunter had been shot and was not breathing.
The Baker County Sheriff's Office, along with Oregon State Police, Halfway Ambulance, and Baker County Search and Rescue, responded to the scene, which was located about a mile and a half north of Highway 86. Sheriff Travis Ash dispatched the search and rescue team to help transport Nichols to the waiting medical personnel. The Baker County Sheriff's Office has stated that the investigation into the incident is ongoing. At this time, there have been no reports of any arrests being made.
