Lane County District Attorney Patty Perlow announced Wednesday that Eugene Police officers were justified when they shot a man earlier this month. An inter-agency deadly force team investigated the shooting.
Perlow described the September 10th incident in West Eugene. Edgar Rodriguez, a 26-year-old veteran, had called police reporting a domestic dispute at an apartment on Village Avenue. Rodriguez greeted officers at the door holding 50 caliber Desert Eagle gun in what’s described as low ready. Perlow says Officer Mark Hubbard directed Rodriguez to drop the gun but he did not comply. She says both Hubbard and his fellow officer Tim Hunt, believed Rodriguez was going to shoot.
Perlow: “Officer Hunt believed that Officer Hubbard was about to be fired upon and Officer Hubbard believed he was about to be fired upon and that he had absolutely no place to go for cover.”
Both officers shot Rodriguez, who was wounded. Rodriguez has retained an attorney and says he intends to sue the city and county. District Attorney Perlow says Rodriguez refused to speak to investigators. She has no idea why he answered the door with a gun but notes he had been drinking.