George Richard Robbins, the man shot at by Humboldt County Sheriff’s deputies on July 14 at the Martins Ferry Bridge, was working for Kapel Construction as a night watchman, confirmed Caltrans spokesperson Phil Frisbie this afternoon. “Yes, the gentleman is an employee,” Frisbie said.

Kapel Construction is working as a subcontractor for Caltrans on Hwy 169 near the bridge. “It is very common for our contractors…to have overnight security,” Frisbie explained.

Local residents told us that Robbins had been parked near the Bridge for months watching construction equipment.

Deputies shot at Robbins for reasons that are yet unclear. A spokesperson for the Sheriff’s Office earlier today said that the department wouldn’t comment but was providing a news conference tomorrow.

An earlier press release from the Sheriff’s Department stated,

The Deputy Sheriffs observed a suspicious vehicle in the roadway on Martins Ferry Bridge. The Deputies contacted the driver and solo occupant of the vehicle. He was later identified as George Robbins from Hoopa, CA. During the course of that contact an officer involved shooting occurred, wounding Robbins.

Here’s scanner recording from the incident:

Deputies struck Robbin’s Chevy Corvette multiple times with bullets. Robbins received minor injuries (according to scanner tape this included being grazed by a bullet) and was transported to the Humboldt County Jail. The Sheriff’s Office’s press release reported, “A firearm was located in the vehicle and seized as evidence.”

Robbins was booked for PC417(c)–Drawing a firearm in the presence of a peace officer. On Saturday, July 15, Robbins was released on bail.

Many residents have expressed anger with the incident. Patti McCovey, a native Yurok woman, posted what she called “An open letter to the Humboldt County Sheriffs Office” on her Facebook page. She wrote in part,

How often do you shoot white security guards while they are on duty? How often do you shoot unsuspecting non-threatening white members of the community in Eureka, Arcata, or McKinleyville? A better question is, what were you doing on the Yurok Indian Reservation at 10PM on a Friday night? Why did you shoot a non-threatening tribal member while he was doing his nightly security guard duties for a local construction company? Why were you patrolling the reservation at all? I mean, you won’t even respond to the Yurok reservation when an emergency call is made.

UPDATE Tuesday: Nightwatchman Admitted Pointing Gun at Officers, Says Sheriff Billy Honsal

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