The Cowlitz Tribal Public Safety Department’s interim chief died from a self-inflicted gunshot wound Wednesday after he allegedly fled a northeast Vancouver residence where a residential burglary was reported, according to the Clark County Sheriff’s Office.
Charles Gardiner previously served as a commander with the Cowlitz Indian Tribal Police, deputy director of the Cowlitz Indian Tribal Public Safety Department and a trooper with the Washington State Patrol for 25 years, according to his LinkedIn profile.
About 9:45 p.m. Wednesday, Clark County sheriff’s deputies responded to a report of an occupied residential burglary in the 9000 block of Northeast 79th Street. The caller reported a man was inside the residence. The man later ran away, the sheriff’s office said in a news release.
Law enforcement searched the area and located a vehicle with Gardiner’s body inside. Evidence suggested that he died from a self-inflicted gunshot wound, according to the sheriff’s office.
