DALLAS Ore. (KPTV) – A man was sentenced to life in prison on Tuesday, after being convicted for the killing of a man at Salem’s Wallace Marine Park in August 2025, according to the Polk County DA’s Office.
Last week, a Polk County jury found 38-year-old Joseph Andrew Wirkkala of Salem guilty of the following charges:
- Second-degree murder
- Second-degree attempted murder
- First-degree assault
- Two counts of unlawful use of a weapon
- Two counts of menacing
- Two counts of reckless endangering another person
- First-degree attempted assault
- Fourth-degree attempted assault
- Felon in possession of a firearm
Investigators say that on Aug. 27, 2025, a domestic violence incident involving Wirkkala and another person living in a homeless camp at the park preceded the killing.
62-year-old Jacob Collazo of Salem, also living in the park, was then shot multiple times by Wirkkala near a gravel pit around 1:30 a.m. Collazo was rushed to the hospital, but later died…