A man who pointed “what appeared to be a firearm” at Vancouver police died Saturday afternoon when one officer fired at the man.
The fatal shooting happened around 3 p.m. just west of the Interstate 5 bridge near Vancouver’s waterfront after two officers responded to a report of a man walking around with a loose German shepherd who had bitten at least one person. That person required medical attention for bite wounds, police said.
When the officers found the man — who has not been identified — they saw the dog try to bite another person, according to a press release from Vancouver police.
The officers then approached the man, and “he displayed what appeared to be a firearm and pointed it at one of the officers,” according to a press release from the Clark County Sheriff’s Office, which is leading the investigation of what happened.
One officer then shot the man, and he died at the scene. No officers were injured, according to police. Authorities took the dog to a shelter.
The Vancouver officers — who also have not been identified — are on leave.
Police have not said if the object that appeared to be a gun was, in fact, a gun.
— Beth Slovic is a deputy editor on the public safety and breaking news team. Reach her at 503-221-8551 or bslovic@oregonian.com.
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