The Lower Columbia Major Crimes Team has completed its interviews and released the names of officers in the fatal shooting of an armed robbery suspect last month in a Vancouver shopping center.
The man was identified as Joshua James Wilson, 43, of Vancouver, who was captured on video pointing a gun at police just before he was killed. The Vancouver Police Department said one of its detectives spotted a car about 5:30 p.m. that day and recognized the driver as “a suspect who was wanted in multiple, recent armed robberies.”
According to police, a Vancouver detective initially spotted the man – an armed robbery suspect – driving around 5:30 p.m. on Tuesday. Detectives trailed the man to the shopping center, and he went inside a Safeway. Police said they tried to arrest him as he exited the store.
“He dropped a bag of items, displayed a firearm and ran westbound through the parking lot,” the statement read. “During the attempt to apprehend him, the suspect fired at officers, and they returned fire.”
The Lower Columbia Major Crimes Team took over the investigation. The names of officers involved were released by the Cowlitz County Sheriff’s office.
They are:
Detective Colton Price of the Vancouver Police Department. With the department since 2012, he serves on the Safe Streets Task Force and is assigned as a detective on the Neighborhood Response Team.
Officer Brandon Riedel of the Vancouver Police Department since 2018, he is assigned to the East Precinct Patrol.
Detective Aaron Yoder of the Vancouver Police Department. With the department since 2015, he is assigned to the Neighborhood Response Team and is also a SWAT team member.
Detective Zach Nielsen of the Clark County Sheriff’s Office. With the office since 2016, is assigned to the Sheriff’s Office Tactical Detectives Unit.
— Tom Hallman Jr
503-221-8224; thallman@oregonian.com; @thallmanjr
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