Bodycam footage shows man pulled gun before being shot by Clark County sheriff’s deputies

Brush Prairie man pulled gun from waistband before being killed Feb. 20 by three deputies

Body camera footage released Thursday by the Clark County Sheriff’s Office captured a 53-year-old Brush Prairie man pulling a gun from his waistband moments before three deputies fatally shot him on Feb. 20.

The video compilation includes footage from five deputies’ cameras as they responded to 12521 N.E. 152nd Ave. The video came hours after the Vancouver Police Department, which is investigating the shooting as a part of the Southwest Washington Independent Investigation Team, released the identities of the deputies. Three of the deputies fired their guns, while two were witnesses, investigators said.

This was the first shooting since deputies began wearing body cameras, which the department began rolling out late last year.

The Clark County Medical Examiner’s Office last week identified the man who was shot as Jonathan Gale and said he died from multiple gunshot wounds to the torso.

Sheriff’s Sgt. Jeff Ruppel can be seen in the footage approaching Gale, asking him if he has any weapons and telling him he is going to pat him down. Gale can be heard telling the deputy not to touch him and claiming he was sick with COVID-19. As Ruppel approached, Gale reached toward his waistband and pulled out an object the sheriff’s office says is a gun, according to the video compilation.

Three deputies — identified by Vancouver police as Sgt. Tom Yoder, Deputy Forrest Gonzalez and Deputy Holly DeZubiria — can be seen shooting Gale.

Sheriff’s office response

At 12:05 a.m., a woman called 911 to report that she was concerned for her mother’s safety. She said her mother was calling from a male family member’s phone, and she was at his residence on the property. The daughter described her mother’s behavior as strange, according to the video compilation.

While deputies were heading to the property, they encountered an intoxicated driver and stopped to investigate, which delayed their arrival to the property. The daughter called 911 again. She said her mother called and told her she was being held hostage and that there were “guns everywhere.” Her mother then quickly hung up, the video update states.

https://www.columbian.com/news/2024/feb/29/bodycam-footage-shows-3-clark-county-sheriffs-deputies-shot-brush-prairie-man/

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