Two Vancouver police officers shot a man Sunday night after he reportedly broke into an apartment, stabbed his girlfriend and fought with other people inside.
Details remain scant about the circumstances of the incident and the outcomes, such as the condition of the man shot or the conditions of four others also sent to the hospital.
Law enforcement agencies did not answer questions Monday.
According to a press release by the Vancouver Police Department, the man reportedly forced his way into an apartment and stabbed his girlfriend. He was then removed by multiple people inside.
Outside the apartment, the man confronted officers, the police said.
“The suspect refused police commands to drop his weapon,” the Vancouver police department said in the statement. “Two Vancouver police officers fired their weapons, striking the suspect.”
The suspect, the female victim and three other people inside the apartment were all taken to a hospital, the police said. The two officers are on leave.
Crucial details about the incident, such as any biographical information about the suspect, have not been made clear. Police typically release the names of suspects arrested unless doing so would jeopardize an investigation.
Twenty people have been arrested and lodged at the Clark County Jail in the last 24 hours, according to jail records, but none whose charges match the crimes described by Vancouver police.
Vancouver police spokesperson Kim Kapp referred all questions to the Clark County Sheriff’s Office, which is heading the team — formed under a relatively new state law — investigating the shooting.
“I have been unable to speak with the investigators to get any more information other than the VPD release,” said Sgt. Brent Waddell, of the Clark County Sheriff’s Office. “Tomorrow will be the earliest we release anything more.”
The state law is Initiative 940, passed by voters in 2018. It creates a team of independent investigators, with citizen oversight, whenever police kill or greatly harm someone.
In Southwest Washington, law enforcement agencies in Clark and Skamania investigate each others' incidents, independent of the agency involved.
According to the city of Vancouver, 14 residents have cleared background checks to serve as the citizen representative on an investigation team.
An external report published on June 19 found Vancouver police’s use of force rose by 65% from 2017 to 2019.