Police officer shoots man near Vancouver waterfront

VANCOUVER, Washington – A man is dead after being shot by a Vancouver police officer Saturday afternoon.

According to the Vancouver Police Department (VPD), police responded to a call around 1:45 p.m. about a man with a loose German Shepherd that had bitten at least one person, who later told police they were seeking medical treatment for bite wounds. Police also said the man was “carrying a firearm” and was walking west on the trail near the river.

At around 2:59 p.m., police saw the man and the dog in the area of ​​Columbia Avenue and Columbia Way. The dog then attempted to bite a person, VPD reported.

As officers approached, “the man displayed what appeared to be a firearm and pointed it at one of the officers.” An officer, whose identity has not yet been established, then shot the man, who died at the scene despite receiving medical attention.

The dog remained “aggressive” toward rescuers and “was eventually tied to a dumpster to prevent further injury from the dog,” VPD said. The dog was then taken to the animal welfare organization.

No officers were injured in the encounter.

Parts of North Columbia Street are currently closed.

Per standard protocol, two Vancouver officers are currently on critical incident leave and the incident is being investigated by the SW Washington Independent Investigation Response Team (SWIIRT) under the direction of the Clark County Sheriff’s Office, VPD said. Body cameras and in-car cameras will be reviewed and released later.

Follow KGW on social media: Facebook | Þjórsárden |

Download the KGW News app: Download here for iPhone | Download here for Android

Stream newscasts for free on KGW+ on Roku, Amazon Fire and Apple TV: How to add an app to your device here

Do you see a typo in this article? Email [email protected] for corrections.