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An off-duty West Valley City police officer was chatting with a man he met in Oregon last month when the man stole his gun and shot at him, police say.

Patrol officer Andrew Goss was in Salem caring for family April 2 when Shannon Farrell, 27, stole his .40-caliber Glock handgun, according to Marion County Sheriff's Office spokesman Don Thomson. Farrell reportedly fired multiple shots at Goss early in the morning before fleeing.

Police arrested Farrell about three hours later.

Thomson said the two men met the night before in a bar. After talking in the bar, Goss invited Farrell to his grandparents' home to continue their conversation. However, when they arrived at the home they got into an argument, Thomson said.

Farrell then took Goss' gun and fired one shot before leaving in his car. Witnesses said he soon returned and fired several more shots. Thomson said the weapon was in the home but Farrell did not take it off of Goss' person.

Thomson added that Farrell claimed to have thrown the gun into a bush but police never recovered it. Thomson didn't know if the gun was Goss' service weapon or simply a gun he owned, though he added that a .40-caliber Glock is a common police weapon.

Prosecutors have charged Farrell with attempted assault one and theft one, as well as unlawful use of a weapon. He has a court appearance scheduled for May 8 and is not currently in custody.

West Valley City Assistant Police Chief Mike Powell on Monday said he was not aware that Goss violated any department policies and Goss remains assigned to patrol.

Twitter: @jimmycdii —

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