In the early hours of a Tuesday morning in southeast Lancaster city, a chain of events unfolded that would end the life of 18-year-old Jose Efrain Rodriguez. On January 24, 2017, what began as an encounter with two city police officers on a quality of life and curfew detail escalated into a fatal shooting. Originally from New York, the young man was staying on South Queen Street at the time.
Around 12:30 a.m., Rodriguez approached a police vehicle on South Duke and North streets. Unseen by the officers at first, he was armed with a handgun. The situation quickly intensified as Rodriguez reportedly fired at the officers. In response, one of the officers returned fire. Although it is uncertain if he was hit at this point, Rodriguez fled the scene, running east on North Street and then north onto Rockland Street, still in possession of the firearm.
The pursuit continued to the Hillrise Apartment complex, where Rodriguez hid for approximately five minutes before a second encounter with different officers occurred. At the north side of the complex, police deployed Tasers in an attempt to subdue him. Despite the use of the Tasers, Rodriguez fired at the officers again. An officer, facing a direct threat, discharged his firearm, fatally wounding Rodriguez. He was pronounced dead at a local hospital. No police officers were injured during the exchange of gunfire.
The Lancaster County District Attorney's office conducted a thorough investigation into the officer-involved shooting. The investigation concluded that Rodriguez was the first to fire in both encounters with the police. Evidence recovered from the scene included shell casings from Rodriguez's pistol, which was later found to have been reported stolen, and from the officers' firearms. In April 2017, the District Attorney announced that the use of force by the police officers was justified, determining that Rodriguez bore the sole responsibility for the tragic outcome due to his actions of arming himself with a stolen weapon and choosing to fire at the officers.
