An off-duty police officer who was stabbed outside his home by a robbery suspect fleeing officers was then shot by a sheriff's deputy and died Saturday night, Washington state authorities said.
Donald Sahota, 52, had been with the Vancouver Police Department since April 2014, according to the city of Vancouver.He was shot as deputies pursued a suspect after a report of an armed robbery at a convenience store, the Clark County Sheriff's Office said in a statement.
An independent team investigating the incident said that within seconds of arriving at Sahota’s home, the unnamed Clark County sheriff’s deputy “fired several rounds from a rifle striking the off-duty officer.”
“The off-duty officer/homeowner collapsed on his front porch before responding officers were able to determine he was the homeowner and not the alleged robbery suspect,” the Lower Columbia Major Crimes Team said.
The major crimes team identified the homeowner as Sahota. His official cause of death has not been determined, the statement said.
The major crimes team, which includes six agencies in Cowlitz County and investigates use of force by police resulting in death or serious bodily harm, has opened an investigation. By state law, the group cannot include any representatives from the agency under investigation, said Kelso Police Capt. Rich Fletcher, the spokesman for the major crime team's inquiry into Sahota's death.
The suspect, who was not identified, surrendered to police after a vehicle pursuit and Sahota's shooting, the major crimes team said.
Fletcher said the sheriff’s deputy who fired at Sahota is expected to be identified publicly later this week.
“My heart goes out to Officer Sahota’s family and friends and those of us in his VPD family as well," Vancouver Police Chief James McElvain said in the city’s statement. "His death is a tragic loss, and he will be deeply missed by many.”
Before he joined the police department in Vancouver, about 140 miles south of Seattle, Sahota, who is survived by his wife and two children, worked for two other departments. He was most recently assigned to the Vancouver police training unit, city officials said.
The investigation into the alleged robbery began about 8:15 p.m., when police fielded a report about a man in his 20s who pointed a gun at a clerk, demanded money and fled with "several hundred dollars," the major crimes team said.
Twelve minutes later, police caught up with the suspect on Interstate 205, according to the major crimes team. He eluded capture for several miles and exited a different interstate toward Battle Ground, where officers used spike strips and the suspect fled on foot.
A woman in Battle Ground called 911 to report that a male “was pounding on their front door asking for assistance because he had just been involved in a collision,” the major crimes team said.
“The female caller told emergency dispatch her husband was an armed off-duty Vancouver Police officer and had exited their residence onto the driveway in front of their home in an attempt to detain the suspect for responding officers,” it said.
The suspect and Sahota physically struggled, the major crimes team said.
“The off-duty officer lost control of his firearm and suffered several stab wounds," it said.
Sahota was able to recover his gun, the investigative group said, and the suspect held an "instrument" used to stab Sahota when he tried to enter Sahota's home.
Law enforcement officers responded, and the sheriff’s deputy fired at Sahota, according to the major crimes team.
Officials in Vancouver declined to comment. No one with the Clark County Sheriff’s Office responded to a request for comment.