Investigators determined the apparent firearm a man pulled from his pocket moments before Vancouver police officers fatally shot him June 17 in central Vancouver was a replica airsoft gun.
The gun appears to be a replica Colt 1911 airsoft gun, according to the Clark County Sheriff’s Office, which is leading the shooting investigation as part of the Southwest Washington Independent Investigation Response Team. Investigators also seized a folding-blade pocketknife from Jonathan West Nelson, 40, of Vancouver, at the scene.
The sheriff’s office said Tuesday deputies are reviewing written statements from the officers who shot Nelson, along with their body-worn camera video.
Investigators previously identified Officer Jason Haigwood, Sgt. James Kelly, Officer Justin Reiner and Officer Philip Wilkening as the officers who shot Nelson. The officers are on critical incident leave, per standard protocol.
Vancouver police previously released a video compilation of the shooting, which states officers were driving at 12:51 a.m. in the 2800 block of Northeast Andresen Road when three people flagged them down. The group reported a man was staring at them while they were parked in the McDonald’s parking lot, and then he pulled out a gun and pointed it at them. During chaotic questioning, the trio said they thought the man was going to shoot them.
Police established probable cause for first-degree assault, and several additional officers responded to the area. They found Nelson walking on the sidewalk in the 2400 block of Northeast Andresen Road, the video states.
Several police SUVs slowly followed Nelson for more than two minutes along Andresen. A sergeant can be heard ordering the suspect over the PA system to stop and that he’s under arrest. Nelson can be seen continuing to walk away from officers as they followed, the video shows.
The video shows a large police response with multiple officers shouting commands at Nelson. The sergeant then tells Haigwood to go ahead and turn police K-9 Remi on Nelson.
As Remi runs at him, Nelson seems to shout “I’m ready to die.” When the dog bites Nelson, he can be seen pulling out the airsoft gun with his right hand before nearby officers quickly shoot him. The footage also shows Nelson clutching what appears to be a knife in his left hand.
Nelson was later pronounced dead at a hospital, according to the sheriff’s office.</p
