A Hermiston man is facing a second-degree assault charge after shooting another man in the leg early Wednesday morning.
According to Hermiston Police Chief Jason Edmiston, the police were called to the 11th Street Market in Hermiston around 8:15 a.m. for a reported gunshot victim. After arriving at the scene, officers found a 25-year-old male from Umatilla who had driven to the market to call 9-1-1 after being shot in the leg during a dispute with Rodriguez Barriga. According to Edmiston, the dispute took place in the area of W. Elm Avenue and N.W. Seventh Street.
Umatilla police officers detained Rodriguez Barriga in Umatilla a little over an hour after the shooting. Rodriguez Barriga had formerly lived in Umatilla.
The injury sustained by the victim was superficial and he was treated and released from Good Shepherd Hospital.
Edmiston, who said the dispute between the two men was over a girl, said officers will be serving a search warrant at a location in Hermiston in hopes of recovering the weapon that was used.
Hermiston Police Department was assisted by the Umatilla Police Department, Oregon State Police, Umatilla County Sheriff’s Office, Umatilla County Fire District 1 and the Umatilla County District Attorney’s Office.
“Life is about choices and the decisions made today by those involved are frustrating,” said Edmiston. “At some point people need to take responsibility for what they value. Clearly the values of Mr. Rodriguez Barriga differ from the overwhelming majority of people in this community and we are going to ask that he be held accountable for his reckless actions.”
Edmiston said this was at least the second arrest for Rodriguez Barriga on top of at least 14 different citations.
