Monday’s shooting is one of several high-profile incidents of violence in recent years against local law enforcement officers.
Clark County sheriff’s Sgt. Brad Crawford was the last local officer killed in the line of duty. He was killed on July 30, 2004, when his patrol car was rammed by a man in a pickup fleeing a domestic disturbance at his home.
Vancouver police Cpl. Chris LeBlanc was shot during a 2007 standoff. LeBlanc was a member of the SWAT team that was entering a house when the gunman fired several shots through a wall. A bullet hit LeBlanc under his arm and lodged near his spine. He recovered and eventually returned to work.
Four other officers have had close calls, including two whose body armor stopped bullets and two more whose patrol cars were shot up.
In April 2009, Vancouver police Sgt. Jay Alie responded to a home-invasion robbery. He stopped a car matching the description of the suspects’ vehicle and was shot in the chest at point-blank range. His ballistic vest stopped the bullet.
In October 2010, Clark County sheriff’s Deputy Gordon Conroy was part of a team that responded to a shooting incident. The resident fired several shots, including one round that lodged in the deputy’s ballistic vest.
On Dec. 7, 2011, Dan McPherson was the first Washougal police officer to respond to a house fire. The homeowner fired at McPherson, and at least four bullets hit the patrol car, including one that went through the driver-side window.
And in October 1997, sheriff’s Sgt. Craig Hogman was speeding after three bank robbers in Vancouver’s McLoughlin Heights. They fired more than 50 rounds from their getaway car, and at least six hit Hogman’s patrol car. Hogman, who retired in 2007, stayed on their tail, radioing their position to other officers.
Tom Vogt: 360-735-4558; tom.vogt@columbian.com.
