Raleigh police report: Man shot by officer had shot 2 women, officer fired 18 rounds

Raleigh police released a five-day report Friday detailing the circumstances of an officer shooting a man while responding to an apparent domestic dispute.

Officer M.L. Berg fired 18 rounds at about 10:50 p.m. on Feb. 10 while officers were responding to a call of shots fired in the 300 block of Rock Quarry Road near Vardaman Street, according to the report.

The report states Berg shot a man named Ranses Vargas, who investigators said shot and injured two women in an apparent domestic dispute before police arrived.

According to the report, Berg’s gunfire also hit a man in a truck Vargas hid behind.

Authorities took everyone injured to an area hospital for treatment of non-life-threatening injuries, the report states.

Vargas is charged with two counts of assault with a deadly weapon with intent to kill inflicting serious injury.

Berg is placed on administrative leave as part of departmental policy. His body-worn camera captured the officer-involved shooting. The Raleigh Police Department said it would seek to release the recordings, according to the report.

Since the shooting, authorities are conducting two separate investigations into the actions of Berg and Vargas.

The report describes the incident in detail, indicating Vargas had shot a woman as she was sitting in her vehicle, then shot another woman as she tried to run away.

Vargas and one of the women had been in a domestic relationship, and she was afraid Vargas came to the location to do her harm, police said.

The report states Berg heard gunshots in a parking lot, drew his weapon and approached the sound after issuing a “shots fired” call requesting backup.

Berg saw Vargas walking between two vehicles holding what appeared to be a weapon, according to the report.

Berg identified himself as police and asked Vargas “several times” to drop his gun, according to police.

The report states Vargas ran behind a red pickup truck while still armed. Berg fired his weapon, firing an estimated 18 rounds, striking Vargas and the truck, which appeared empty.

It wasn’t until Berg approached the truck and saw Vargas on the ground that he noticed two people were inside, police said.

A man in the driver’s seat of the truck was injured by gunfire. The other person inside the truck was not injured.

EMS treated both men at the scene.