The man shot by a San Diego sheriff’s deputy may have been suffering from post-traumatic stress disorder, addiction and depression, according to a friend.
30-year-old Daryl “Ray” Cody was shot by a deputy Tuesday at the downtown apartment building where he was living. Two deputies were helping evict Cody when one saw what he thought was the barrel of a gun, according to police.
Police said Cody refused to come down from his bunk bed and refused to show the deputy his hands before the shooting.
Cody’s friend Kevin Nichols said Cody was discharged from the Navy for using crystal meth.
Nichols, a former drug user himself who has been clean for four years, said Cody’s bizarre behavior is indicative of drug users.
“He was always defiant, especially against authority figures,” Nichols said.
Nichols and a neighbor said Cody was also suffering from PTSD, though they did not have any information about an official diagnosis. Nichols said Cody refused to seek treatment or talk about his experience in the Navy.
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"I would always ask him questions, but he would never really want to talk about it,” Nichols said.
Nichols does not know if Cody is currently using drugs.
“He was just so depressed he wouldn't get out of bed. I would bring him food sometimes because he wouldn't eat for days,” he said.
With regard to the eviction, Nichols said, “[Ray Cody] was always a little late on paying his rent but he always got it in, and I just never thought that it would amount to something like this.
Cody was taken to a UCSD medical facility. Because of a non-disclosure agreement, the hospital could not say which facility Cody was being treated at or give an update on his condition.
As of 5:30 p.m. Wednesday, Cody had not been booked into the San Diego County Jail. There is no confirmation about which specific charges he will face.
Meanwhile, residents at Vantaggio Suites on 6th Ave., where the shooting took place, received a letter from management Wednesday. It said the deputy may have overreacted to the situation. It also offered residents the option of temporarily transferring to the Vantaggio Suites on State St. if they didn’t feel safe in their rooms.
The name of the deputy involved in the shooting is expected to be released Thursday.
