Friends and family held a candlelight vigil for Michael Pierce in Vancouver, Wa., Friday, March 1, 2019. Two Vancouver police officers are on leave after fatally shooting Pierce Thursday when he allegedly waved handguns at passersby and police.
Molly Solomon / OPB
The names of the two Vancouver Police officers who shot and killed a man Thursday have been released by the department.
They are Officer Christopher Douville, a six-year veteran of the department, and Officer Andrew Dunbar, a two-year veteran.
The Vancouver Police Department said officers responded to the scene Thursday after reports of a man pointing handguns at passing vehicles and pedestrians. The department said officers Douville and Dunbar then shot the man after he allegedly brandished the firearms at the police.
Family and friends at a candlelight vigil Friday night confirmed the man's name was Michael Eugene Pierce. They said Pierce was in and out of homelessness. Police have not confirmed the man's name.
The Regional Major Crimes Team is investigating the shooting.
Neither Vancouver Police officers were injured and they are both on leave, per department policy.
Christopher Douville has been cleared in two previous on-duty shootings, including a fatal shooting in Spokane in 2011 where he worked as an officer prior to working in Vancouver. The other Vancouver shooting was in 2014.
