Eugene police officer Samuel Tykol said he was reacting to safety concerns and resistance from Eliborio Rodrigues Jr. when he grabbed the man’s arm and attempted to handcuff him before a 2019 street altercation in which he fatally shot Rodrigues.
Tykol’s testimony came Wednesday, Nov. 19, during a civil trial in U.S. District Court in Eugene. Tykol was on the witness stand Tuesday and Wednesday answering questions from an attorney representing the estate of Rodrigues.
Jurors are set to decide on allegations of wrongful death and negligence made against Tykol, who shot Rodrigues in a 2019 encounter that began shortly after he approached Rodrigues about walking in the roadway on Acacia Avenue at about 12:30 a.m. on Nov. 30…