Man in custody after double homicide in Vancouver

Two people are dead and a suspect is in custody pending charges of first-degree murder following an early morning stabbing and manhunt in Vancouver on Sunday.

Dustin L. Zapel, 35, was arrested on suspicion of two counts first-degree murder and one count of attempted murder, according to the Vancouver Police Department.

Officers responded to 1900 Fort Vancouver Way, the Central Park Place Apartments, for a reported assault, police said. The call came in just after 1:30 a.m., according to dispatch records.

The police said officers arrived to find two men dead outside of the complex.

Zapel, a resident of the building, was identified as a person of interest in the investigation. Officers descended on the crime scene and launched a manhunt that led to Zapel’s capture about seven hours after the slayings.

He was reported in custody at about 9 a.m., after he had been seen in the Five Corners area, near Northeast 94th Avenue and Northeast Covington Road.

After interviews with detectives, Zapel was booked into the Clark County Jail by early afternoon, the department said.

The police did not identify the victims, pending notification of family members.

The apartment complex is on the Portland VA Vancouver Medical Center campus, but is a transitional housing program managed and operated by the Vancouver Housing Authority.

Seventy-eight tenants in the 124-unit complex are veterans and work with VA social workers. The rest of the tenants work with the housing authority.

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Correction appended: The article originally misstated the population characteristics of the apartment building.