SALEM, Ore. -- A man who fled from the scene of a double murder at a Salem bar in April will appear in court Thursday after he waived extradition from California after his arrest in the Los Angeles area.
Elijah Watterson, 21, has been accused of three counts of attempted aggravated murder with a firearm, felon in possession a firearm, and riot.
Two men died and one was injured after a fight was folowed by gunfire early on April 14 in the parking lot of the Bar Fly at 444 NE Lancaster Drive.
Deputies from the Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department arrested Watterson on April 21 in Palmdale, California. A warrant for his arrested had been issued the day after the shooting.
Two other involved suspects were arrested on the day of the shooting. Cain Gabriel Thompson, 22, and Santano Gabaldon Sauseda, 23, were both accused of riot. Sauseda was also accused of being a felon in possession of a firearm.
Both remain in the Marion County Jail on $1 million bail each. Watterson was being held without bail.
Tobias Helms-Reese, 24, and Tyler Longacre, 21, died from gunshot wounds after the shooting. A third person, who has not been identified, survived gunshot wounds.
Helms-Reese was also involved a shooting last years that left one man dead and another injured.
According to a Salem Police Department investigation, Helms-Reese got into a verbal confrontation with two men on Jan. 29, 2017.
Helms-Reese was armed with a gun when he was walking down the street on Lancaster Drive NE, near Lancaster Mall, and was confronted by the pair while they were in a Jeep. They allegedly threatened Helms-Reese, who responded by shooting at the vehicle.
A witness then called 911 and said a pedestrian shot at a Jeep. By the time police responded to the scene, the Jeep had been driven to a hospital.
A Marion County grand jury ruled he acted in self defense.
Both the Marion County District Attorney's Office and the Marion County Sheriff's Office declined to say whether that shooting was connected to the Bar Fly incident, because of the ongoing investigation.
Eleven days after that January incident, Helms-Reese was indicted on two counts of misdemeanor unlawful possession of a firearm for concealing a pistol on the night of the shooting and at the time of his arrest. The district attorney's office moved to vacate those charges after his death.
Sauseda and Helms-Reese, along with 25-year-old Filotone Lee Brewer, Jr., of Salem, were also jointly charged in the assault of a couple on Sept. 2, 2017.
The Marion County Sheriff's officials declined to provide probable cause statements related to Thompson and Sauseda's arrest because of the ongoing investigation into the Bar Fly double fatal shooting.
"At this time, we cannot release this affidavit as it could potentially compromise an ongoing investigation," Sgt. Don Parise said.
Investigators still are searching for a late-model red or maroon Ford Expedition that was seen leaving the scene of the shooting on Lancaster Drive NE.
Investigators are asking the public to call the sheriff's office tip line, 503-540-8079, with any information about the shooting.
Lauren Hernandez contributed to this report. Email her at lehernande@statesmanjournal.com, call 503-399-6743 or follow her on Twitter @LaurenPorFavor