Deputies involved in fatal shooting of inmate at hospital ID’d

The Clark County Sheriff’s Office identified the two corrections deputies involved in a shooting at PeaceHealth Southwest Medical Center that killed an inmate last week.

Elissa Black, an 11-year veteran of the agency and Pam Frisby, a 12-year veteran of the agency, were the deputies guarding John Jeffrey Martin, a 66-year-old jail inmate, Thursday morning, according to the Clark County Sheriff’s Office.

Martin, whose city of residence was not confirmed, had been taken to the hospital Wednesday morning and remained overnight for treatment, the sheriff’s office reported.

At about 10:40 a.m. Thursday, “the inmate took action which resulted” in at least one deputy opening fire, the sheriff’s office said. The sheriff’s office did not say which deputy fired her weapon or if both deputies fired shots.

The shooting took place in a patient room on the fifth floor of the Firstenburg Tower, and the situation was quickly brought under control.

After Martin was shot, he was taken into surgery but died.

No deputies were injured, the sheriff’s office said, and no hospital staff was involved in the shooting.

Exactly what transpired remains under investigation by the Regional Major Crimes Team. Officers with the Vancouver Police Department are taking the lead on the investigation.

Both Black and Frisby are on paid critical-incident leave, a standard practice for the agency.