Investigators have identified the Vancouver police officer who shot a man during a disturbance call on Thanksgiving.
The Clark County Sheriff’s Office, which is handling the release of information on the shooting, said Thursday that Officer Ryne Briley, 31, fired his weapon at 23-year-old Irving Rodriguez.
Briley was hired by the Vancouver Police Department in February 2017 and is assigned to east precinct patrol. He remains on critical incident leave, which is standard protocol in a police shooting.
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.
Diaz-Rodriguez was taken into custody at the shooting scene and transported to an area hospital for treatment, according to a sheriff’s office news release issued Wednesday. Authorities have not reported the man’s current condition.
Shooting
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 elderly 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.
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.
