Video: Vancouver police shoot suspect on Andresen Road

VANCOUVER, Wash. — The Vancouver Police Department on Tuesday released video of a fatal police shooting that occurred last Monday on Northeast Andresen Road, the second fatal police-involved shooting in less than two weeks.

According to VPD, an officer was driving along Northeast Andresen Road just before 1 a.m. when he was stopped by three people parked behind a McDonald’s several blocks south of Fourth Plain Boulevard. The three told the officer that a man had just walked past them, and after a brief exchange of words, he pulled a gun from his pocket.

The video shows that the victims initially do not know if the man pointed the gun directly at them. Their statements differ slightly. Because the video is blurred to hide their identities, the hand gestures the victims use to describe what the suspect did cannot be seen.

In a statement, the VPD said that witnesses believed the man wanted to shoot them; officers found reasonable suspicion for a charge of first-degree assault.

Victims described the man as wearing black from head to toe, including a mask and sunglasses. After the incident, the man continued walking south on Andresen.

Investigators later identified the man as 40-year-old Jonathan West Nelson.

As officers continue to speak with witnesses, the video shows several patrol cars driving down Andresen Street toward the man they described.

Police caught up with the suspect a few blocks south at the intersection with Northeast 25th Street. Despite officers using a PA system to identify themselves and order the man to stop, he continued walking south along the sidewalk. Officers followed him at a slow pace for several minutes.

Full video published here. Warning: The video contains graphic violence.

In the video, an officer can be heard warning over a loudspeaker system that police will use a dog and a non-lethal 40mm launcher if the man does not stop and show his hands.

“This is not going to end well for you,” the officer, identified as Sergeant G. Catton, warns over the PA system. He then calls out to the other officers before turning to the suspect again. “Who’s got a (40mm)? Hey, send it here, buddy! … A dog is being used on you, 40mm is being used on you. Stop it now!”

Shortly after this warning, one of the officers runs towards the man and releases a sniffer dog to attack him. It is not clear from the video whether the 40mm launcher was even used.

As the sniffer dog attacks the suspect, he begins to fall to the ground. At the same time, he rummages around in a bag for an object that looks like a weapon. It is unclear whether he fires a shot.

According to VPD, four Vancouver police officers opened fire on the suspect, and video shows this happening while the man continues to struggle with the dog and wave the gun around. According to VPD, the dog’s rear end was struck by gunfire during the firing.

Nelson quickly goes limp as several Vancouver police officers stand nearby with their guns drawn. They eventually approach him and find what appear to be two weapons: a pistol, which an officer places nearby, and a knife, which Nelson still holds in his left hand.

A video released by Vancouver police shows the shooting on the body cameras of several officers, but stops shortly after the shooting. Nelson appears completely motionless in the video, but police said officers provided him with medical aid before he was taken to hospital and later pronounced dead.

“The Vancouver Police Department values ​​the sanctity of human life and the dignity of all people, and any loss of life is tragic,” the agency said in a statement releasing the video.

The four officers who fired their weapons have been placed on critical incident leave while the SW Washington Independent Investigation Response Team (SWIIRT), led by the Clark County Sheriff’s Office, investigates the shooting.

On June 25, SWIIRT published the names of the four police officers:

• Sgt. James Kelly, hired by the VPD in 2015.
• Officer Jason Haigwood, hired by the VPD in 2019.
• Officer Justin Reiner, hired by the VPD in 2020.
• Officer Philip Wilkening, hired by the VPD in 2020.

No one was injured in the incident other than Nelson and the dog. Vancouver Police Dog Remi was taken to a veterinary hospital for surgery. He was released from the hospital on June 18 and is currently recovering.