Man shot, killed by Vancouver police officially identified
Pierce, 29, died of gunshot wound to chest, according to Clark County Medical Examiner’s Office
By Jack Heffernan, Columbian
county government and small cities reporter
Published: March 4, 2019, 5:50pm
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Friends and loved ones of Michael Pierce gather for an emotional candlelight vigil in his memory in downtown Vancouver on Friday evening, March 1, 2019. (Amanda Cowan/The Columbian)
Michael Eugene Pierce was officially identified Monday as the man fatally shot by Vancouver police late Thursday afternoon.
Pierce, 29, of Vancouver, died of a gunshot wound to the chest, according to a news release from the Clark County Medical Examiner’s Office. His death was ruled a homicide, meaning it resulted from another person’s deliberate action. The ruling does not make any judgments about criminal culpability.
Officers responded to West 12th and Jefferson streets around 4:45 p.m. Thursday for a report of an armed person west of downtown Vancouver. Shortly after, officers yelled that shots had been fired and that a man was down, with a firearm by his feet, according to emergency radio traffic monitored at The Columbian.
Officers Christopher Douville and Andrew Dunbar fired their weapons, and neither was injured, according to Vancouver police. They have been placed on critical incident leave, which is department protocol in officer-involved shootings.
Witnesses said Pierce had been brandishing two firearms, pointing them at himself, passersby and police.
At a candlelight vigil Friday night, family and friends said Pierce’s guns were brightly colored pellet guns that he treated as toys. When he pointed them at his head, he was calling for help, said Kyla Houchens, Pierce’s close friend.
Diagnosed with paranoid schizophrenia as a teenager, Pierce had stopped taking prescribed medication a couple years ago because it “made him feel like a zombie,” said Beth Brittain, Pierce’s aunt.
He was homeless and had been couch surfing for several years after a conviction that resulted in jail time, according to family members. He had been depressed during that time, said Joan Wickenhagen, the grandmother of Pierce’s 5-year-old daughter.
Responding officers did not know Pierce’s identity or criminal history at the time of the shooting, Vancouver Police spokeswoman Kim Kapp said.
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