Donald R. Sarrett, 66, likely saved others from death after he ambushed the gunman during a rampage inside the store last Sunday, police said. Surrett was convicted of sex crimes while in the military, court-martial records show. Surrett pleaded guilty to two counts of carnal knowledge and two counts of indecent acts involving a minor in October 1994 and was sentenced to 10 years in prison at Fort Leavenworth, according to records cited by Oregon Public Broadcasting. Oregon State Police classified him as a Level 1 sex offender, meaning authorities considered him to be at the lowest risk of recidivism, according to a copy of the registry obtained by The Oregonian/OregonLive. “Mr. Surrett’s record does not change the fact that in this case, when faced with great danger, he acted heroically by attacking and attempting to disarm an active shooter at his workplace,” Bend Police spokeswoman Sheila Miller said. While Mr. Surrett’s past may complicate how people feel about his legacy, his actions at this time were courageous, and for those actions, he deserves praise.” Fellow veteran Kenneth Hauge said Surrett disclosed that he was incarcerated but did not want to talk about it. He said the local chapter of the Disabled American Veterans and Veterans of Foreign Wars will move forward with plans for a plaque in Sarrett’s honor. “People have problems, but he changed his life all around,” Hauge said. “He still put his life on the line.” Donald Ray Surrett Jr., 66, is shown here in an undated photo. A Safeway spokesman said the company screens all of its employees before hiring and that Surrett passed a third-party background check. The company said it was not aware of his criminal record. Surrett had worked for the company in the manufacturing department since 2018 and had lived in La Pine since at least the early 2000s, records show. He had no criminal record in Oregon. In a statement, Bend police said Sarrett tried to disarm 20-year-old gunman Ethan B. Miller. After killing Surrett, the gunman then killed himself as officers entered the grocery store. Moments earlier, he had shot Glenn Bennett, 84, at the entrance to the Safeway in the Forum shopping center. Police found more than 100 shell casings at Safeway, outside the store and at the gunman’s nearby apartment complex. In a crazed online diary believed to have been written by the attacker, he vowed to kill as many people as possible, claiming he had never found love. — Zane Sparling? [email protected]; 503-319-7083; @pdxzane Our journalism needs your support. Subscribe today at OregonLive.com/subscribe
