Ridgefield resident gets 9 months in shooting case

A man who says he was acting in self-defense when he shot a man in a pickup received a nine-month jail sentence Monday for unlawful possession of a firearm, and he’s not expected to face any more charges in the case, a Clark County prosecutor said.

Michael J. Hatch Jr., 38, of Ridgefield pleaded guilty Monday in Clark County Superior Court to second-degree unlawful possession of a firearm. The charge stems from a Sept. 6 incident outside a residence in Ridgefield.

It is unclear if any allegations will be brought against anyone else, including the shooting victim, identified in court records as 50-year-old Mark Buckner. Deputy Prosecutor Patrick Robinson said authorities are still investigating.

According to court records, Clark County sheriff’s deputies were dispatched about 8:05 p.m. Sept. 6 to 2305 N.E. 209th St. in Ridgefield on reports of a weapons disturbance. A man allegedly tried to run over a resident at that address with a pickup truck, according to the sheriff’s office.

Hatch fired a gun at the vehicle and struck Buckner multiple times, according to a probable cause affidavit. Records did not say whether Buckner was the driver or a passenger in the pickup.

The pickup was driven away from the scene. Buckner was found later that night at a Kaiser Permanente medical office on North Interstate Avenue in Portland. He suffered traumatic injuries related to gunfire, according to the Portland Police Bureau. He was transported to a Portland trauma center for treatment.

Hatch was given credit for 63 days in custody.