Christopher Hoffman, a 41-year-old man from Powell Butte, was shot to death on May 7, 2023, inside his home. Investigators said the shooter was Russell Votruba of Bend, who fled the scene in Hoffman’s vehicle. Within hours, deputies and police located the car on U.S. Highway 97 north of Bend. After spike strips and a PIT maneuver brought the vehicle to a stop near Redmond, Votruba fired multiple times from a handgun, striking a patrol car and then himself in the upper chest.
He was taken into custody after receiving medical aid.
Votruba was booked into the Crook County Jail and initially charged with second-degree murder and first-degree manslaughter, along with unlawful use of a weapon, unauthorized use of a motor vehicle, and being a felon in possession of a firearm. Court filings and statements from the Crook County District Attorney described the chain of events beginning with the fatal shooting at Hoffman’s Powell Butte residence and ending with the highway pursuit and arrest.
In June 2024, after negotiations in Crook County Circuit Court, Votruba admitted to fatally shooting Hoffman and pleaded guilty to manslaughter. He was sentenced to 18 years in prison. Prosecutors and news reports detailed that he had stolen Hoffman’s car after the killing and that the ensuing chase ended just inside Redmond, where the gunfire occurred before he was subdued.
