VANCOUVER — A suspected car thief who attempted to elude Vancouver Police was shot and killed Friday morning.
At about 6:20 a.m., Vancouver Police responded to a suspicious circumstance in the 4500 block of NE 66th Avenue in Vancouver. According to the caller, a vehicle crashed into a parked van at a retirement community parking lot and the suspect entered the lobby of the complex before fleeing on foot through the complex and into a neighboring apartment complex.
Vancouver Police responded and located the suspect, who had been involved in a robbery theft of an automobile in the county minutes earlier. The suspect entered a second floor apartment that was occupied by a male and his four children. The victim and suspect were not believed to be known to one another.
Based on the circumstance, officers forcefully entered the apartment and a Vancouver Police officer located the suspect in a bedroom and fired at the suspect, who was armed. The suspect is now deceased. The family was not injured and there were no injuries to any police officers.
The SW Washington Regional Major Crimes Team is continuing the investigation. The officer who fired the shot is currently on Critical Incident Leave, per standard procedure.
The identity of the suspect and the involved officer are not being released at this time.
Additional information will be released as it becomes available.
