A Portland Police Bureau officer is on paid administrative leave after investigators say he failed to report that someone opened fire on him while he was off duty in Hood River on Jan. 17. That silence is now at the center of a broader investigation into a related fatal shooting and multiple arrests tied to an apartment complex near the Columbia River.
The officer has been identified as 27-year-old Diego Ortiz Hernandez. He is on paid leave while an internal investigation plays out and, according to The Oregonian/OregonLive, told investigators he did not alert his supervisors about the gunfire until Hood River detectives questioned him. Ortiz Hernandez said he did not know bureau rules about off-duty responsibilities and told investigators, "I got shot at," the report states.
Less than 20 minutes after that first burst of gunfire, shots rang out again in the parking lot of the Columbia View Apartments. Officers found 21-year-old Yahir Antonio Castillo-Alvarez with gunshot wounds, and he died two days later, as reported by Columbia Gorge News. Hood River police arrested a juvenile on Jan. 28 in connection with the killing and say they are still looking for at least one more suspect.
What investigators say they found
Hood River investigators say they seized from an apartment a baggie with about 27 grams of cocaine, a scale, two pistols with no serial numbers and a 3D-printed suppressor. They later arrested 21-year-old Ricardo Amezcua-Facio on alleged drug and weapons charges. According to investigators, Ortiz Hernandez fled the first shooting scene by jumping a fence into the Riverview Lodge lot and running to his car.
A county medical examiner later found a .25-caliber bullet in Castillo-Alvarez’s skull. The Hood River County district attorney told investigators he believes the killing might have been prevented if an officer had called police, according to The Oregonian/OregonLive.
Policy and possible discipline
Portland Police Bureau rules state that members who take off-duty police action must notify an on-duty supervisor in the jurisdiction where the incident happened and must also inform their chain of command. Off-duty members are advised to defer to the agency with jurisdiction when possible, according to the Portland Police Bureau.
The bureau’s corrective-action and discipline directives outline a range of possible consequences, from command counseling and formal reprimands to suspension or termination, depending on what an administrative investigation finds.
Ortiz Hernandez remains on paid leave while the Portland Police Bureau continues its internal review and Hood River authorities complete their criminal investigation. Prosecutors and investigators say they will decide whether criminal charges are warranted after they finish interviews and evidence collection. City and county officials have not announced any charges related to the officer’s conduct.
