DA clears Crook County deputy in shooting death of Nick Rodin

Discussion: @LEO Round Table

The Crook County District Attorney concluded Friday that the shooting death of Nick Rodin by sheriff’s deputy Steven Hatcher was justified under Oregon law.

Bodycam footage of the fatal Feb. 4 encounter, which was released Friday, showed a heated exchange between Hatcher and Rodin, who authorities believed was armed and dangerous. In the video, Rodin refuses to obey several commands from Hatcher and then approaches him in what Crook County District Attorney Kari Hathorn deemed was a threatening manner.

The encounter — and the video — ends when Hatcher shoots Rodin twice.

“Deputy Hatcher responded to the threat posed by Mr. Rodin as he was trained to do,” Hathorn said in an eight-page report released Friday. “Mr. Rodin created a situation which caused Deputy Hatcher to reasonably believe that Mr. Rodin was reaching for a weapon, and therefore posed an immediate threat to Deputy Hatcher’s life.”

The 35-year-old Rodin, who had a history of mental health problems and a criminal record that included prison time, died on Maphet Road, south of Prineville and not far from his home.

Law enforcement officers were on the lookout for Rodin since early that day, after he made two phone calls to Crook County 911 dispatch and asked to be arrested. He said he was armed with a knife and a handgun.

“You need to come pick me up before I flip out and hurt somebody,” Rodin told a dispatcher.

Rodin, according to his family and friends, was on a number of medications to deal with mental health conditions. His toxicology report showed he was under the influence of methamphetamine in addition to his prescribed medications at the time of his death, Hathorn said in her report.

On the day he was shot by Hatcher, Rodin had two outstanding felony warrants for his arrest for two separate incidents. One warrant was for assault with a dangerous weapon, and the second warrant was from out of state and for battery with a dangerous weapon.

The warrant required law enforcement officers to arrest Rodin, and included “a safety warning to law enforcement to exercise caution with Mr. Rodin.”

Hatcher found Rodin around 1:30 p.m. that day on SE Maphet Road, and called for backup. But when Rodin reached behind his back, Hatcher thought he was reaching for a weapon and pulled out his 9mm handgun. He repeatedly orders Rodin to get on the ground and to place his hands where he could see them.

The body camera footage released by the district attorney’s office showed Rodin did not comply.

Rodin, who was sitting on the ground, holding a bottle of soda, and a cell phone when he was stopped by Hatcher. Rodin began to act erratically, and to engage in a heated verbal altercation with Hatcher during the encounter.

He eventually stood up and slowly approached Hatcher who had his gun pointed at Rodin.

“Despite Deputy Hatcher’s repeated commands to Mr. Rodin to get on the ground, Mr. Rodin suddenly stood up and approached Deputy Hatcher, stating ‘I ain’t scared. I ain’t scared of you, dude. What’s up? Yeah, I want to die. I want to die, dude!’” Hathorn said in her report.

Hatcher gave Rodin — several verbal commands, telling him not to approach him, and to get back on the ground. But Rodin remained standing.

As Rodin continued to approach, Hatcher threatened to shoot him if he did not comply, and the verbal exchange continued to escalate.

“As Mr. Rodin approached Deputy Hatcher, he quickly transferred the soda bottle from his right hand to under his left arm, freeing his right hand,” Hathorn’s report states. “Mr. Rodin then quickly reached toward his hip with his right hand. Deputy Hatcher discharged his firearm twice. Mr. Rodin sustained fatal injuries.”

After firing the shots that killed Rodin, Hatcher called for medics and “attempted lifesaving efforts until medics arrived,” the report said.

“Deputy Hatcher reasonably believed Mr. Rodin was reaching for a weapon and fired two shots,” Hathorn’s report stated.

“Mr. Rodin’s refusal to comply with the police officer’s commands on February 4, 2022, is difficult to understand,” Hathorn said. “Some facts may help explain his actions: Mr. Rodin’s toxicology results revealed a high level of methamphetamine in his system — a substance that causes the user to behave irrationally even in small amounts.”

People close to Rodin said he had a short temper and a history of hearing voices, Hathorn wrote, but also reported Rodin had been “very level” recently.

Hathorn concluded that Hatcher’s response to Rodin’s failure to comply with his commands was justified.
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