A domestic violence call in Vancouver erupted into arson late Tuesday and ended with the police shooting and killing the suspect.
The incident began with a 911 call at about 11 p.m. to the Alder Creek Apartments, 11716 N.E. 49th St. According to a Vancouver police news release, the incident started as a reported domestic disturbance.
The argument escalated, and police said a man, who was reported to be armed, set an apartment on fire.
Police arrived to find the apartment on fire and the man in the parking lot. Police thought he was carrying a firearm, and said he refused commands to put his weapon down. Officers then shot and killed him. It was later discovered the weapon was an air-soft type replica AR-15.
The man was pronounced dead at the scene.
Robin Behrens, who lives two apartments down from where the fire was reported, said she and her husband Bruce were sleeping when the incident happened, but they awoke to the sound of five or six gunshots.
“It was so loud, it just made us jump out of bed immediately,” Robin Behrens said. From their back porch, they watched the flames from the fire.
Before they could call 911, however, several police cars and fire engines swarmed the complex, which according to county property records has about five dozen units.
“Flames were shooting out of the back of the house,” Bruce Behrens said.
Robin Behrens said that when they moved to the complex four years ago, it was a quiet and safe neighborhood. Within the past year, however, the police have responded to the area for several incidents including a home invasion, she said.
She said the events have shaken her up.
“It just scared the heck out of me,” she said. “It’s like something you would see on TV, but it was here.”
Neighbors heard approximately five or six shots coming from the parking lot. “I heard the gunshots,” said resident Rayna Girdner, who added that police are frequent visitors to the apartment complex.
Dispatch logs suggest the incident occurred very quickly. The initial call, for a disturbance with a weapon, and the fire call were reported within 30 seconds of each other at 10:55 p.m. and 10:56 p.m., respectively. Only six minutes later, an ambulance was called to the scene to treat a person with multiple gunshot wounds.
Vancouver police spokeswoman Kim Kapp said that no one other than the gunman was injured.
The fire heavily damaged the apartment before it could be extinguished, but neighboring units were not damaged, Kapp said.
Two adults and two children were affected by the blaze, according to the American Red Cross. The organization provided clothing, shoes, comfort kits and information about mental and physical health services.
Kapp said that most if not all of the residents were allowed to go back into their units early Wednesday morning.
Investigators were interviewing witnesses and acquaintances of the man involved in the incident late Tuesday night and Wednesday morning. Crime scene tape could be seen near the outdoor swimming pool, in the middle of the U-shaped development. Police cordoned off the complex, limiting who can come and go, as the investigation continued.
No names of any of involved the parties were immediately released. The Vancouver Police Department officers involved are on paid administrative leave. Detectives from the Regional Major Crimes Team and Arson Team are investigating.