Man who shot himself after police standoff identified

The Clark County Medical Examiner’s Office has identified the man who shot himself following a confrontation Thursday in east Vancouver as 31-year-old James J. Wigen of Vancouver.

The medical examiner’s office investigation found Wigen died after sustaining a self-inflicted gunshot wound to the head, and determined the manner of death as a suicide.

Officers received word around 10:30 a.m. Thursday of a man with a gun in his waistband seen in an area west of Northeast 162nd Avenue near Southeast First Street in east Vancouver.

The man, Wigen, reportedly ran after he was confronted by police. Officers chased him, and the pursuit ended near the intersection of Southeast 155th Avenue and Northeast Second Street, where officers repeatedly ordered Wigen to drop his weapon.

Instead, Wigen turned the gun on himself and took his own life, according to police.

Officer fired one shot

According to Vancouver police, an officer fired one round during the confrontation.

Cpl. Holly Musser was placed on paid administrative leave while the Clark County Regional Major Crimes Team reviews the incident, according to the police. It is standard administrative procedure to place officers on such leave after an officer-involved shooting.

According to Columbian archives, Wigen had been sentenced to prison in Clark County on at least three occasions, most recently in March 2014, when he was sentenced to 25 months for theft of a motor vehicle and possession of methamphetamine.