Four officers identified in fatal standoff shooting

The Clark County Sheriff’s Office has identified four officers who fatally shot Robert Kenneth Miller during a standoff Tuesday night in the Sifton area northeast of Orchards.

The shooting occurred after Miller, 43, threatened to kill himself and an estranged girlfriend, and held a gun to her body in Hazel Dell, police said.

Miller left that scene and later was shot after he held a gun to his head and made threats to kill himself and others in the backyard of a home at 7901 N.E. 141st Court, police said.

The officers, now on critical incident leave, are:

nDeputy Todd Barsness, whose career with the sheriff’s office began in 1994 as a jail custody officer. He was promoted to jail sergeant for internal affairs and, two years ago, was hired as a deputy. He is assigned to patrol.

nDetective Tom Dennison was hired as a deputy in 2000 and now is assigned to the Tactical Detective Unit and Southwest Washington Regional SWAT Team.

nDetective Marshall Henderson, hired by the Vancouver Police Department in 1998, was a sheriff’s deputy for three years before that. He works with the Metro Gang Task Force and SWAT Team.

nDeputy Scott Holmes was hired in 2000. He now is assigned to the Clark County Courthouse and is a member of the SWAT Team.

An autopsy on Thursday determined Miller died of multiple gunshot wounds, said sheriff’s Sgt. Scott Schanaker.

A preliminary investigation found that, at the time of the shooting, Miller had a fully loaded revolver; one spent cartridge was found in the cylinder. Police haven’t said when or where that shot was fired.

Schanaker said he will give a more detailed explanation of what led to the shooting next week.

He said the shooting is under active investigation, as is the armed confrontation between Miller and an estranged girlfriend earlier that day in Hazel Dell.

Court records show that a 22-year-old former girlfriend obtained a restraining order against Miller this summer, saying he’d threatened to kill her or himself several times.

“Robert has a long history of abuse, and I don’t know what he might do,” the woman wrote when asking for the protection order.

She said Miller had caused her to lose a job because he called her repeatedly at work and showed up there three times a day. She added that Miller drank alcohol daily and used cocaine and methamphetamine.

Schanaker said it’s not clear whether that woman is the same one Miller threatened to kill Tuesday.

Here’s what police have said so far:

After the armed assault and threats to the ex-girlfriend in an apartment complex at 1812 N.E. 104th St., she escaped and called 911.

Officers found Miller’s Dodge pickup parked at the home on 141st Court.

When officers arrived, a family member, unhurt, emerged from the home and was taken to safety.

Later that night, officers saw Miller in the backyard, holding the handgun to his head and making threats to kill himself and others. They radioed for backup and took positions around the house.

Officers called in trained negotiators, who spent about an hour trying to convince Miller to drop the gun and surrender.

About midnight, officers radioed ‘shots fired, shots fired.’ No officers were injured.

The shooting is being investigated by the Regional Major Crimes Team, including detectives with the sheriff’s office and Vancouver police.

Stephanie Rice: 360-735-4549 or stephanie.rice@columbian.com. John Branton: 360-735-4513 or john.branton@columbian.com.