Authorities on Friday identified the law enforcement officers who fired at a driver June 3 following a chase along southbound Interstate 5 from Kelso that ended at the Northwest 319th Street exit. The driver’s identity was also released.
The involved officers were Washington State Patrol Troopers Josh Bacheller and Evan Tippets, and Cowlitz Tribal Police Officer Austin Moore. All three were placed on critical incident leave, per standard protocol, according to a news release from the Clark County Sheriff’s Office, which is handling the release of information.
Bacheller and Tippets have been with the State Patrol for six years and 5½ years, respectively, and they are both assigned to District 5, Kelso detachment. Moore has been with the Cowlitz Tribal Police Department for 2½ years, the news release states.
The driver struck by gunfire was identified as 47-year-old Vencine Hadley. He was taken to a local hospital for treatment.
Investigators say Hadley has since been released from the hospital and booked into the Clark County Jail.
The online jail roster shows he was booked Tuesday and is being held on suspicion of attempting to elude and possession of a stolen firearm, as well as an outstanding warrant.
Shooting followed chase
Details on what led up to the shooting have not been released.
Earlier statements on the incident said authorities had deployed spike strips as the vehicle passed Woodland, but the attempt was unsuccessful. The chase ended when the vehicle collided with another vehicle at the top of the Exit 14 offramp and, disabled, came to a stop in the roundabout adjacent to the offramp.
The pursuing troopers were joined by the Cowlitz police officer as they confronted Hadley and a female passenger inside the vehicle. They subsequently fired at Hadley, according to the statements.
The female passenger got out of the vehicle and was taken into custody, but Hadley, who was conscious and alert, refused to get out of the vehicle. The statement said he told officers that he was armed and ready to die.
The police statements said Hadley was then seen repeatedly using a pipe to ingest a substance believed to be methamphetamine.
After approximately 20 minutes of negotiations, Hadley got out of the vehicle and was taken into custody. He was given emergency first aid by law enforcement before being transferred to medical personnel.
The Southwest Washington Independent Investigative Response Team is continuing to investigate and anticipates additional charges, the news release states. The team includes the Battle Ground, Camas and Vancouver police departments, and the sheriff’s office.
