Suspects in Northeast Salem double fatal shooting held without bail
Whitney Woodworth
A judge ordered the men suspected of killing two Salem men and shooting a woman be held without bail.
During their arraignment Thursday, the mother of one of the victims tearfully asked Judge Jennifer Gardiner to not release the men suspected of killing her son, calling them a threat to her family and the community.
Keonte Caldwell, 23, and Curtis Deshawn Welch, 27, were arrested on two counts of aggravated murder and attempted murder.
Aggravated murder, which applies to murder involving multiple victims, children, pregnant women or law enforcement officers, carries a possible sentence of death or life in prison.
The men were arrested less than 24 hours after the fatal shooting.
Marion County deputies responded to reports of shots fired at a home on the 3600 block of Joshua Ave. NE just after 10 p.m. on Monday and found three people with gunshot wounds.
Bradley Kelley, 35, died at the scene. Michael Buntjer, 35, and Coral Olfert, 26, of Salem, were transported to the hospital with serious injuries. Buntjer later died at the hospital.
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The day after the shooting, Olferts' father, Roger Olfert, said his daughter was shot in the abdomen.
He said Coral and her two friends were outside the home when her former boyfriend threatened the group with a knife.
The group chased the suspect off, but he and another man returned with a gun.
Deputies identified the suspects as Caldwell and Welch and tracked them to the Roseburg area. They were taken into custody Tuesday, held at the Douglas County Jail and transferred to the Marion County Jail Wednesday.
Caldwell and Welch are accused of intentionally killing Kelley and Buntjer with a firearm and trying to kill Olfert.
Officials said both men live in the Salem area, but court records list Welch as living in an apartment in Virginia.
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An online profile matching Welch's information lists him as a previous attendee of the Art Institute of Virginia Beach and a former U.S. Marine currently working as a line cook at a Salem retirement community.
Caldwell's social media profile says he attended North Salem High School.
Neither man has a previous criminal history in Oregon.
Family members of Buntjer said he was a loving father of two, an avid outdoorsman and wildland firefighter. They said he was friends with Olfert and Kelley.
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For questions, comments and news tips, email reporter Whitney Woodworth at wmwoodwort@statesmanjournal.com, call 503-399-6884 or follow on Twitter @wmwoodworth