MADRAS — Shane Gomes thought it would be just another day at the Jefferson County Fair.

For 24 years he had been attending with his wife, who is president of the livestock association, and the pair made an event out of it every year.

But a fun day with friends turned into a nightmare as he ducked out of sight behind a large vehicle.

As Gomes testified Monday in Jefferson County Circuit Court, many people in the courtroom were familiar with the events of July 22, 2022, when Rafael Gomez allegedly led law enforcement on a wild police chase on foot through Madras. It started at the Jefferson County Fair, where he allegedly stole an AR-15-style rifle from a vehicle and tried to shoot eight people, including Jefferson County Sheriff Jason Pollock and one of his deputies. It ended several blocks down U.S. Highway 97 when police shot and injured Gomez in the parking lot of a KFC restaurant.

An attorney asked Gomes as he testified before a jury at Gomez’s trial Monday afternoon, “And why did you duck out of sight?”

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Indictment: Madras suspect attempted to shoot 8 people, including sheriff

“Because I did not want to get shot. Because this person was fiddling with a gun, and I wasn’t sure what was going to happen, so I wanted to protect myself,” Gomes responded.

Gomez was ultimately unable to shoot anyone that day before authorities subdued him with a bullet wound to the shoulder, but not for lack of trying, prosecutor Eric Nisley said in opening statements.

“He was trying to feed the live rounds into the chamber, but he couldn’t. It was jammed for him,” Towne Pump gas station attendant Ken Corbin, one of the eight people Gomez allegedly attempted to murder, told The Bulletin in 2022 shortly after the incident. “I heard it click.”

Gomez’s defense

Gomez, 32, faces five charges of attempted murder, nine charges of unlawful use of a weapon and one count each of being a felon in possession of a firearm and first-degree theft. Gomez has gone through three lawyers while trying to build his defense, resulting in a delay getting the case to trial. Court documents show Gomez’s previous three attorneys withdrew because they either had a breakdown in the attorney-client relationship or reached an impasse with Gomez. During the trial, Gomez was represented by Victoria Moffet and Vada Camacho.

During his opening statement, Camacho said the state would not be able to prove beyond a reasonable doubt that Gomez intended to use the weapon because video evidence does not show people moving for cover as Gomez moved down U.S. Highway 97.

Gomez appeared largely composed during the proceedings, wearing a pair of headphones transmitting a translation of the proceedings in Spanish. He also joked and laughed with his lawyers and law enforcement officers.

Media coverage and jury selection

Gomez’s alleged actions at the Jefferson County Fair in 2022 had a widespread impact on the community, and some prospective jurors were dismissed for being related to or friends with witnesses scheduled to testify. Some jurors were already familiar with the events of that day because of extensive news coverage. At least two jurors were excused because they believed Gomez was in possession of a firearm that was not his own.

According to Nisley, Gomez asked while being arrested: “Is the media here? Because I’m going to be famous.”

Gomez’s trial is expected to conclude on Friday.