Jonathan West Nelson Obituary – The Vancouver Police Department has released a video capturing a fatal police shooting that occurred on Northeast Andresen Road last Monday. This marks the second deadly shooting involving the department in less than two weeks.
According to the VPD, an officer was driving along Northeast Andresen Road when they were approached by three individuals parked behind a McDonald’s, a few blocks south of Fourth Plain Boulevard. The trio informed the officer that a man had recently passed by them, and during a brief interaction, he brandished a gun from his pocket.
The video footage reveals that the victims initially had some uncertainty regarding whether the man had directly aimed the gun at them, with slightly varying accounts. However, due to the blurred nature of the video to protect their identities, it is not possible to discern the hand gestures used by the victims to describe the suspect’s actions.
The VPD stated that the witnesses believed the man posed a threat of shooting them, leading the officers to establish probable cause for a first-degree assault charge.
According to the victims, the suspect was dressed entirely in black, including a mask and sunglasses. Following the incident, the man continued walking south on Andresen.
Subsequently, the video shows multiple police cruisers heading down Andresen towards the described suspect as officers continued conversing with the witnesses. The police eventually caught up with the suspect a few blocks south, at the intersection with Northeast 25th Street. Despite officers identifying themselves over a public address system and instructing the man to halt, he persisted in walking along the sidewalk towards the south. The officers followed at a slow pace for several minutes.
In the video, an officer, identified as Sgt. G. Catton, can be heard issuing a warning over the public address system, stating that the police would employ a dog and a 40mm less-lethal launcher if the suspect failed to stop and reveal his hands.
“This will not end well for you,” Sgt. G. Catton cautioned over the public address system. He then called out to the other officers before addressing the suspect once again, inquiring about the availability of a 40mm rig.
