A quiet Tuesday morning in northeast Vancouver turned chaotic when a police officer shot a man who, according to officers, was trying to break into a home and moved toward a resident while holding a knife. The shooting happened shortly after 6:30 a.m. in the 10900 block of Northeast 48th Street on the city’s northeast side. The man was hit by gunfire and taken to a hospital for treatment.
Police account and tense encounter
In a Facebook post, the Vancouver Police Department said the homeowner woke up to the sound of smashing glass and believed the man outside was someone she knew who had tried to break in a few days earlier. Officers said they arrived to find a man in the yard holding a knife and walking toward the woman.
According to the department, officers ordered him to drop the weapon, but he refused and continued moving toward her. One officer then fired, striking the man. Police said officers immediately provided medical aid at the scene before he was taken to the hospital, according to the Vancouver Police Department.
The department said body-worn and in-car camera video from the incident will be reviewed and released at a later time.
Local reporting and what is known so far
Local coverage has confirmed that a single officer fired, hitting the man, and that he was transported to a hospital for treatment. KPTV reported that the officer who fired, along with two witness officers, has been placed on critical incident leave while investigators examine the shooting. Authorities have released few other details as the investigation gets underway.
State investigators step in
Vancouver police said they have notified the Washington State Office of Independent Investigations (OII) and that the department will not take part in the independent criminal investigation into the shooting. According to the department, the OII will release the name of the involved officer when it determines the time is appropriate. Once the OII completes its investigation, the case will be sent to the Clark County Prosecuting Attorney’s Office for review, per the Vancouver Police Department.
Legal review and process
Under Washington law, officer-involved shootings must be investigated by an independent team that is separate from the involved agency and that forwards its completed work to prosecutors. The Washington Administrative Code lays out requirements for independence, transparency and evidence handling for these teams. For more on how the state structures these reviews, see WAC 139-12 and the Office of Independent Investigations.
This story will be updated as the OII and local prosecutors release additional information.
