Police and emergency personnel at the scene of a shooting west of Battle Ground Monday June 13, 2016. A man accused of robbing a downtown Vancouver bank was cornered west of Battle Ground, where he was apparently shot. (Photo by Natalie Behring/The Columbian)Photo Gallery
A Portland man has been identified as the suspect in a bank robbery and pursuit Monday that ended in an officer-involved shooting in the community of Duluth, the Vancouver Police Department said Tuesday. The man has died.
Police identified the man as Kenneth Allen Pointer, 43. Additional details on the manner and cause of death will be released by the Clark County Medical Examiner, police said.
Police also said earlier reports that a Clark County sheriff’s deputy and the suspect exchanged gunfire was incorrect. “We only know the deputy fired a weapon,” said Kim Kapp, Vancouver police spokeswoman.
The incident began as officers were investigating a reported robbery at the US Bank branch at 1607 Main St. in Vancouver.
The robbery occurred shortly before 2 p.m. The robber left the bank with an undisclosed amount of cash, but a bank teller included a tracking device with the money.
Vancouver police officers, joined later by Washington State Patrol troopers and Clark County Sheriff’s Office deputies, headed north in pursuit of his vehicle and the device’s signal, she said.
The search ended around 2:15 p.m. at the intersection of Northeast 10th Avenue and 219th Street/state Highway 502 in Duluth, when pursuing officers forced the driver to stop and boxed his vehicle in.
Kapp said the deputy who stopped the suspect’s vehicle fired his weapon, and the suspect suffered a gunshot wound.
The Regional Major Crimes Team is investigating the officer-involved shooting, police said.
Clark County sheriff’s spokesman Sgt. Fred Neiman said the deputy involved in the shooting, whom the sheriff’s office didn’t identify, has been placed on paid critical incident leave, per procedure in shooting incidents.
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