Officer Involved Shooting Is Bryan/College Station’s Fifth Gunfire Incident In Five Days

Screen shots from the College Station police department's Twitter account.
Screen shots from the College Station police department's Twitter account.

A College Station man who fired a rifle at two College Station police officers Sunday afternoon is dead after both officers returned fire.

The man who died was identified as 21 year old Roderick Devonne Merchant, Jr.

Police chief Billy Couch said officers responded during the noon hour to Eastmark apartments near Central Park.

That’s after a woman reported Merchant pointed the rifle at her and demanded he let her inside. When she refused, the woman said Merchant entered two other apartments.

Couch said when officers arrived at the second floor apartment where Merchant was, officers saw a woman leaving the unit.

The chief said Merchant partially exited the apartment, he started talking with the officers, then he fired one shot into the ceiling.

Couch said a few minutes after Merchant was asked to drop his gun and exit down the stairway, Merchant advanced towards one of the two officers and began firing.

No officers were injured.

Couch said Bryan police chief Eric Buske agreed to take the lead on the investigation, with assistance from the Brazos County district attorney’s office.

A CSPD spokesman said any officer involved will be placed on paid administrative leave pending the investigation and an autopsy will be conducted.

Click below for comments from Billy Couch during a news conference on May 23, 2021:

Listen to “College Station police chief's news conference about officer involved shooting, May 23 2021” on Spreaker.

Original story:

College Station police report an officer involved shooting Sunday afternoon at Eastmark apartments near Central Park. Quoting a CSPD tweet, “officers responded for a man pointing a rifle at people while trying to force his way into apartments. Officers engaged the man after he began shooting. No officers struck & suspect transported to the hospital.”

Bryan police continue to investigate an early Saturday morning shooting between Henderson Park and Jane Long school. Officers who responded to the 1100 block of Bittle Lane found a 14 year old who had a non-life threatening gunshot wound. BPD has not announced that an arrest was made. Anyone with information is asked to contact BPD at 979-209-5300 or Brazos County Crime Stoppers at 979-775-8477 (TIPS).

College Station police report two people went to the hospital following a shooting Friday night in the parking lot of the H-E-B store on Texas Avenue. One who was transported by ambulance has died. He was identified as 23 year old Cameron James Gray of Navasota. The second person, who showed up at the hospital, sustained serious injuries. The tweets stated the person who went to the hospital by ambulance was shot. The tweets did not indicate how the second person was injured or the circumstances that led to the gunfire, other than both people knew each other. Anyone with information is asked to call CSPD at 979-764-3600.

College Station police has not announced an arrest from an early Friday morning shooting where one person was driven in a private vehicle to the hospital with incapacitating injuries. This was on Autumn Circle, which is off Spring Loop between University and Tarrow.

Last Tuesday, Bryan police arrested a 14 year old in the shooting of a 16 year old near the intersection of Highway 21 and Sandy Point Road on charges of aggravated assault with a deadly weapon, manufacture/delivery of THC extracts, and possessing less than two ounces of marijuana. The victim sustained injuries that were not believed to be life threatening.