Clark County sheriff’s detectives will lead the investigation into a fatal shooting in a rural area 20 miles east of Kelso.
The shooting occurred in the 8900 block of Rose Valley Road late Saturday evening.
The Daily News in Longview reported that the incident began with a high-speed chase in the Longview-Kelso area. Apparently, police encountered the suspect along Rose Valley Road, where he allegedly threatened a Kelso police officer and two Cowlitz County Sheriff’s deputies with a chain saw.
The officers, identified by police as Deputies Brent Harris and Alexis Tonissen and Officer Darrel Stair, then fired at the suspect. Harris’ police dog, Fritz, sustained two minor injuries during the incident but is expected to make a full recovery, according to the Cowlitz County Sheriff’s Office.
Harris, Tonissen and Stair were not injured, according to a news release from Clark County. As an outside agency, Clark County was asked to investigate the shooting, which is standard procedure.
The name of the dead man has not been released.
