Man detained after officers find body inside Vancouver house

By Andy Matarrese, Columbian environment and transportation reporter, and

Emily Gillespie, Columbian Breaking News Reporter

Published: February 17, 2017, 4:25pm

Vancouver police officers responding to a welfare check call in the Maplewood neighborhood Friday arrived to encounter a man brandishing a firearm, then found a dead person inside the house.

Police were called to 3715 E. 18th St. at about 9:15 a.m. to check on someone inside. The Vancouver Police Department said a friend was concerned after being unable to contact someone inside for a few days.

Patrol officers responded and saw a man inside with a gun.

Because a firearm was present and someone else might have been inside, SWAT officers joined patrol officers on the call.

The response closed roads around the house for a few hours as officers tried repeatedly to contact those inside. Officers eventually deployed a robot to approach the residence and used a “flash bang,” a nonlethal explosive device that temporarily disorients a target’s senses, according to emergency radio traffic monitored by The Columbian.

Around 11:15 a.m., a man left the house, then was taken into custody.

Information from SWAT officers indicated there was a body inside, department spokeswoman Kim Kapp said. At 4:30 p.m., officers were working to acquire a search warrant to search the house, she said.

The department said the major crimes unit was investigating, and detectives did not believe there is a threat to the public.

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