VANCOUVER, Wash. (KOIN) — As an investigation continues into the fatal shooting of a Vancouver teen by a police officer, friends and neighbors question whether the use of deadly force could have been avoided.
Late Tuesday night, Vancouver police officers were called to the parking lot of an apartment complex on SE Ellsworth Road about a disturbance between a man and woman.
But witnesses said 2 males — both possibly armed — were involved in a fight of some kind.
The 16-year-old — who was identified as Clayton S. Joseph– waved a knife at the responding officers and, officials said, refused commands to drop it.
The Vancouver Police Department said Cpl. Roger Evans fired his service weapon, hitting the teen.
Clayton was rushed to a hospital for treatment of his wounds but did not survive. The Clark County Medical Examiner’s Office said Clayton died of a gunshot wound to the chest.
Deadly force called into question
In the following days, some questioned whether other methods could have been used to deescalate the situation.
A neighbor wondered why someone possibly armed with a knife should be fatally shot.
“If he had a gun, I could see where they would need to take action,” said Alex Kolychev, a neighbor. “But even maybe a small knife? I don’t see any reason why they should jump to that extreme right away.”
A friend of Clayton, Conner Bloxham, thinks the teen was actually trying to protect a friend.
“I think he was involved trying to actually prevent further escalation in the situation that was happening,” said Bloxham.
Meanwhile, Evans is on leave per the VPD’s standard protocol while the regional major crimes team investigates the shooting.