Man wounded in shooting at OnTrac warehouse in Vancouver’s Fruit Valley neighborhood

A man was shot in the leg Friday morning at a distribution warehouse in Vancouver’s Fruit Valley neighborhood. Police are describing the shooting as an act of self-defense.

As of Friday afternoon, Vancouver police said the man was in stable condition after undergoing surgery at a local hospital.

The Vancouver Police Department, Clark County Sheriff’s Office and Washington State Patrol responded at about 7:50 a.m. to reports of a disturbance with a weapon at the OnTrac warehouse in the 3600 block of Northwest 32nd Avenue. Police found a man inside the warehouse with an apparent gunshot wound, according to Vancouver police.

Witnesses told police that two contractors for the company got into a fist fight. Employees were able to separate the men, ages 21 and 23, and they returned to their vehicles parked inside the warehouse, a police news release states.

A few minutes later, police said the 23-year-old man drove past the other man’s car, stopped for a moment and then drove away. Then, the 21-year-old man got out of his car and dropped a knife, according to the news release. He picked up the knife and sprinted toward where the 23-year-old stopped his car with the driver’s window rolled down. While the man was running at him, the 23-year-old pulled out a gun and shot the man in the leg.

Police said the man with the gun was cooperative, and officers released him after interviewing him. Investigators determined the shooting was self-defense, police said.

Police have not released the names of either man and have not arrested or referred charges against anyone, the news release states.

Vancouver Major Crimes Unit detectives are investigating.