Sgt. James Kelly and Officers Jason Haigwood, Justin Reinier and Philip Wilkening identified as officers involved in shooting
The Southwest Washington Independent Investigative Response Team (SWIIRT), led by the Clark County Sheriff’s Office, is conducting the independent investigation of the Vancouver Police Department’s (VPD) officer-involved shooting (OIS) that occurred on June 17.
The involved officers are being identified as follows:
Sergeant James Kelly
- The Vancouver Police Department hired Sgt. Kelly in August 2015. He previously worked as a reserve deputy for the Cowlitz County Sheriff’s and as a police officer for the Longview Police Department. His assignments at VPD have included patrol and working as a detective in the East Neighborhood Response Team. Sgt. Kelly was promoted to Sergeant in January of 2022 and is currently assigned to West Patrol.
Officer Jason Haigwood
- The Vancouver Police Department hired Ofc. Haigwood in November of 2019. His assignments at VPD have included patrol, collateral duty as a member of SWAT, and collateral duty as a Sexual Assault Investigator. He is currently assigned as a K9 handler with his K9 partner Remi to East Patrol.
Officer Justin Reiner
- The Vancouver Police Department hired Ofc. Reiner in May of 2020. He previously worked as a police officer for the Maui Police Department. His assignments at VPD have included patrol and collateral duty for the Public Order Specialist Team. He is currently assigned to West Patrol.
Officer Philip Wilkening
- The Vancouver Police Department hired Ofc. Wilkening in July of 2020. His assignments at VPD have included patrol and collateral duty as a member of SWAT. He is currently assigned to East Patrol.
All four officers remain on critical incident leave. During the incident, VPD K9 Remi (assigned to Ofc. Haigwood) was shot in the tail. The K9 was transported to an emergency veterinary hospital, where he underwent surgery on his tail. K9 Remi was released from the hospital on June 18th and is recovering at home and is doing well.
On the date of the incident, investigators completed scene documentation and evidence collection. Investigators are now in the process of reviewing Body-Worn Camera (BWC) video files and statements from the involved officers.
Per WAC 139-12-030, which governs independent investigations, additional updates will be provided weekly.
Information provided by the Clark County Sheriff’s Office.
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