Investigators reported Thursday that a man who was shot by a Vancouver police officer on Thanksgiving continues to receive medical treatment at a local hospital.
The Clark County Sheriff’s Office, which is handling the release of information on the shooting, did not further detail the condition of 23-year-old Irving Rodriguez.
Members of the Southwest Washington Regional Independent Investigation Team are continuing to look into the shooting, and no further information is currently available, the sheriff’s office said.
Court records for Rodriguez — that show his full last name is Diaz-Rodriguez and confirm his age and residence as the address police responded to on the day of the shooting — detail a long history of mental illness, specifically schizophrenia, and contact with law enforcement. His family declined an interview when contacted by The Columbian.
Diaz-Rodriguez was taken into custody at the shooting scene and transported to a hospital for treatment, the sheriff’s office previously reported.
Vancouver police officers were dispatched at 7:04 p.m. to a home in the 2300 block of Southeast 177th Avenue after a family member texted 911 to report a relative was “out of control, and they were afraid he was going to hurt them,” according to the police department. Several family members were inside the home, including an older woman.
When officers arrived, the man who was reportedly causing the disturbance was outside. He retreated inside, was seen moving through rooms and, at one point, was seen holding a baseball bat, police said.
Vancouver police said a mobile crisis team, which typically consists of mental health professionals, responded but was unable to de-escalate the situation. Officers used a less-lethal 40 mm device that was ineffective, according to the police department. The man refused to drop the bat.
“He advanced toward officers outside the residence from a recently opened garage door in an apparent attempt to assault them. A Vancouver police officer fired his weapon, hitting the male who was transported to an area hospital,” the police department said.
Officer Ryne Briley, 31, fired his weapon at Diaz-Rodriguez.
A neighbor, Bjorn Freyrson, 55, told The Columbian he was standing at his open back door when he heard a commotion coming from his neighbors’ backyard, around 10:30 or 10:45 p.m. He noted there is a history of conflict there and police showing up in prior situations.
Freyrson said he later heard a “pop,” and six to seven rounds immediately followed.
