Archie Willie Churchill III was a wanted felon armed with a stolen gun who had told friends and family that he never would return to prison. Springfield police officer Brian Gay knew none of that when he decided to stop the motorcycle Churchill was driving Thursday afternoon.

Churchill fled, crashed the bike and scuffled with Gay, who fired four bullets at Churchill when the wanted man pulled a gun from the waistband of his pants and raised it toward the officer. Churchill, 31, died on the street where he fell. Investigators found one round in the stolen .40-caliber gun he carried.

Chief Deputy Lane County District Attorney Alex Gardner on Friday said the officer reacted properly. "His use of deadly force was necessary, appropriate and lawful," Gardner said at a press conference in the Lane County courthouse.

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Officer Brian Gay was honored for the courage he displayed July 20, 2006, when he fatally shot 31-year-old Archie Churchill III, who pulled a gun from his waistband and pointed it at the officer after a motorcycle chase.