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Shooting investigation continues

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Investigators are still sorting through information related to the fatal shooting of 16-year-old Jeremiah O'Sullivan on July 1.

The case also involves a burglary that took place about 30 minutes before the shooting at a different location.

No charges have been filed.

"Basically we're trying to sift through all the names," Albany Police Capt. Eric Carter said.

He said police have received lots of information and have a "long, extensive list" of people who may have been involved.

Police this week released a few more details about the burglary and shooting. Here's what they say happened:

At about 2:30 a.m. July 1, police were notified of a burglary at a residence in the 2700 block of 27th Avenue S.E. The resident was sleeping when her home was entered and car keys and a purse were taken. A 2001 Buick Century was also stolen.

There is no connection between the resident and the person or people who broke into the house, Carter said.

Investigators haven't said who it was that burglarized the home, but police spotted the stolen car about a half-hour later outside the house where the shooting took place.

A sergeant saw a male run from the car into a backyard on 22nd Avenue Southeast. Police think the male was O'Sullivan, but don't know for certain.

"We found evidence that proves conclusively that there was another person in the backyard," Carter said. He said he couldn't say what that evidence was.

At the time of the shooting, O'Sullivan was standing on a freezer chest directly in front of an open, screened window of the house. The window was large enough for a person to walk through if he lowered his head.

Bruce Gosnell Jr., 32, who lives at the residence and who told police he had heard noises in his backyard, fired a single shot from a semiautomatic 9mm pistol from inside the residence. Gosnell was about 10 feet from O'Sullivan when he fired the gun.

O'Sullivan was found in a neighboring yard with a gunshot wound to the chest. He had used an ATV to climb over a 6-foot fence between the two residences, according to police. O'Sullivan was later pronounced dead at the Albany hospital.

Gosnell's wife and two daughters, ages 10 and 8, were also home at the time of the shooting. One of the daughters was sleeping on a couch in a room adjacent to the room with the open window through which the gun was fired. A pit bull was inside the house, and another dog was outside.

Linn County District Attorney Jason Carlile said he has received and read some reports from police. He said the case is still under investigation and some evidence is being processed at the Oregon State Police crime lab.

By Carrie Petersen. She can be reached at 812-6114 or carrie.petersen@lee.net.

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