Bingo, then bullets inside the Salmon Creek American Legion
SALMON CREEK, Wash. (KOIN) -- Around 11 a.m. Saturday Jamie Gardner was playing bingo inside the American Legion hall in Salmon Creek. But the bingo game was interrupted by bullets.
A suspected armed carjacker was spotted by Clark County deputies going into the American Legion hall, 14011 NE 20th Avenue, and deputies followed him inside
"The first things were screaming yelling, gasping," Gardner told KOIN 6 News. "And then I knew something was terribly wrong."
Gardner then witnessed what happened next.
"I only seen him in the entranceway of the men's restroom about two feet in, like he was coming out of the bathroom and then the cops were going towards the bathroom," she said. "I heard shots ring out. The shooting happened so fast. And we were under the table and it was just a matter of seconds."
The Clark County Sheriff's Office said four deputies are on administrative leave following the shooting that left the suspect dead. Sgt. Chris Skidmore did not confirm or deny if there was an exchange of gunfire between the suspect -- who died at the scene -- and the deputies.
Gardner said she and everyone else in the American Legion hall walked out the front door and lined up near the Walgreens.
How it began
The incident began around 10:30 a.m. when a man and woman carjacked a van in Hazel Dell at gunpoint.
Jess Arnett, the man who was the victim of the initial carjacking, told KOIN 6 News the thieves first asked to borrow his car before pointing a gun at him and demanded his keys.
The carjackers then stopped at the Goodwill in Salmon Creek, where officials said they tried to carjack a different car with someone inside.
Arnett's stolen van was spotted behind the American Legion and authorities said they spotted the armed carjacker go inside.
Both deputies and gunfire followed quickly. No deputies were hurt.
The woman suspected in the carjackings was taken into custody near the scene around 3:20 p.m.
The names of the suspects have not yet been released. The Clark County Medical Examiner will determine the cause of death of the man suspected in the carjacking incident.
Because it was an officer-involved shooting, the Vancouver Police Department, under the auspices of the Southwest Independent Investigative Response Team, will be the lead investigative agency into the shooting.