KELSO — Officers shot and injured a 19-year-old who held a gun to the head of one policeman Tuesday morning in Kelso, an investigative team reports.
The Kelso teen, Daniel Madden, was transported to the hospital and is in stable condition, while the officers involved were not injured and placed on leave.
The shooting occurred after Kelso officers attempted to contact Madden, who they suspected hit multiple vehicles, a sign and a fence then left the South Kelso scene early Tuesday , according to a Lower Columbia Major Crimes Team press release.
At 7 a.m., Kelso officers were alerted tp the hit-and-runs and went to Madden’s home in a residential neighborhood in the 900 block of 12th Avenue South in Kelso, west of Grade Street and the Dairy Queen.
An officer tried to stop Madden with a Taser when he exited his home with a pistol, according to the news release, but he continued to walk toward the police, eventually pointing his weapon 3 feet from an officer’s head.
Officers shot Madden and he was sent to PeaceHealth Southwest Medical Center in Vancouver in critical condition. His condition has since been upgraded to stable.
The officers were not injured and placed on critical incident leave, as part of the department’s policy, the news release states.
Lower Columbia Major Crimes Team, which provides local independent investigation, is in charge of the case and includes members of the Longview Police Department and Cowlitz County Sheriff’s Office. Two citizens, who are not with law enforcement, are also part of the investigation.
