Home invasion, robberies suspect shot in back by police
A 16-year-old alleged companion of a home-invasion shooting suspect, killed late Friday by Vancouver police, appeared in Clark County Juvenile Court today on accusations of unlawful possession of a firearm.
Nehemiah Rudner-Singleton was ordered held without bail. His arraignment is at 9 a.m. Wednesday.
He was allegedly with Douglas E. Combs, 16, just before the Vancouver police pursuit that ended in Combs’ death and was arrested the same night.
Combs was a suspect in a home invasion and shooting at 1 a.m. Friday at an apartment at 1101 N.E. Minnehaha St. in Hazel Dell that sent one man to the hospital. He is also suspected of robbing two convenience stores Friday while armed with a handgun.
Combs was killed by police at 11:30 p.m. Friday as he reportedly reached for a gun after fleeing from officers near the intersection of C Street and East 20th Street in the Arnada neighborhood. He was pronounced dead at the scene.
Combs also was implicated in a 5:30 a.m. armed robbery at a 7-Eleven convenience store in the 4500 block of Northeast St. Johns Boulevard and a 6:30 p.m. armed robbery of a Shell station convenience store at Northeast Andresen Road and Fourth Plain Boulevard.
Police searched for Combs on Friday evening after receiving a tip that he was planning to attend a concert and dance at Pop Culture, an alcohol-free soda store and music venue on Main Street in Vancouver’s Uptown Village.
Officers staked out the business until Combs and Rudner-Singleton left and began walking east on East 20th Street. Officers converged, and Combs began running east on East 20th Street. The shooting occurred in a parking lot near the intersection of East 20th and C streets.
Rudner-Singleton also fled, allegedly armed with a .380 semi-automatic pistol. He was apprehended at C and 20th streets after he collided with a police car, according to police reports.
Rudner-Singleton appeared in court today with his mother, Monica. Her last name was not immediately available. Consulted by Court Commissioner Dayann Liebman about her opinion on bail, the mother said her son needed to be contained.
Both Combs and Rudner-Singleton were sophomores at Hudson’s Bay High School, according to Vancouver Public Schools.
Paris Achen: 360-735-4551; http://twitter.com/Col_Courts; http://facebook.com/ColTrends; paris.achen@columbian.com.
