VANCOUVER, Wash. — The Vancouver Police Department on Tuesday released video of a deadly police shooting that happened last Monday on Northeast Andresen Road, the second deadly shooting involving the agency in less than two weeks.
According to VPD, an officer was driving down Northeast Andresen Road shortly before 1 a.m. when they were flagged down by three people parked behind a McDonald's several blocks south of Fourth Plain Boulevard. The three told the officer that a man had just walked by them, and after a brief exchange of words, he pulled a gun out of his pocket.
The video shows that the victims are initially unclear as to whether the man had pointed the gun directly at them, with slightly differing accounts. Because the video is blurred to hide their identities, it's not possible to see the hand gestures that the victims use to describe what the suspect did.
VPD said in a statement that the witnesses believed the man was going to shoot them; officers developed probable cause for a first-degree assault charge.
The victims described the man as wearing black from head to toe, including a mask and sunglasses. After the incident, the man kept walking south on Andresen.
Investigators later identified the man as 40-year-old Jonathan West Nelson.
As officers continue talking to the witnesses, multiple police cruisers can be seen on the video heading down Andresen toward the man they'd described.
Police caught up with the suspect a few blocks south, at the intersection with Northeast 25th Street. Though officers identified themselves over a PA and ordered the man to stop, he kept walking south along the sidewalk. Officers followed at slow speeds for several minutes.
Full video released here. Warning: Video is graphic.
In the video, an officer speaking over a PA can be heard warning that police will use a dog and a 40mm less-lethal launcher if the man doesn't stop and show his hands.
"This will not end well for you," the officer, identified as Sgt. G. Catton, warns over the PA. He then calls out to the other officers before addressing the suspect again. "Who's got a (40mm) right there? Hey, send him, dude! ... A dog will be used against you, 40mm will be used against you. Stop now!"
Soon after that warning, one of the officers runs up toward the man and releases a K9 to attack him. It's unclear from the video whether the 40mm launcher was ever used.
As the K9 attacks the suspect, the man begins to fall to the ground. At the same time, he fishes into a pocket for an object that appears to be a gun. It's unclear whether he fires a shot.
Four Vancouver police officers opened fire on the suspect, VPD said, and the video shows that this happens as the man continues to struggle with the K9 and waves the gun. According to VPD, the K9's tail was struck by gunfire during the barrage.
Nelson quickly goes limp, as multiple Vancouver police officers stand nearby with guns drawn. They eventually approach him and find what appear to be two weapons: a handgun, which one officer sets nearby, and a knife, which is still gripped in Nelson's left hand.
Video released by Vancouver police shows the shooting from bodycams of multiple officers but ceases shortly after the shooting. Nelson appears completely still in the video, but the agency said officers rendered medical aid before he was taken to the hospital and later pronounced dead.
"The Vancouver Police Department values the sanctity of human life and the dignity of all persons, and any loss of life is tragic," the agency said in a statement accompanying the video's release.
The four officers who fired their weapons were placed on critical incident leave, while the SW Washington Independent Investigation Response Team (SWIIRT), led by the Clark County Sheriff's Office, investigates the shooting.
On June 25, SWIIRT released the names of the four police officers:
- Sgt. James Kelly, hired by VPD in 2015.
- Officer Jason Haigwood, hired by VPD in 2019.
- Officer Justin Reiner, hired by VPD in 2020.
- Officer Philip Wilkening, hired by VPD in 2020.
Except for Nelson and the K9, no one else was injured during the incident. The Vancouver police K-9, named Remi, was taken to an emergency veterinary hospital for surgery. He released from the hospital on June 18 and is recovering.