By Tyler Brown
The Columbian, Vancouver, Wash.
VANCOUVER, Wash. — Body camera footage of the Dec. 27 fatal shooting of a Vancouver man, who witnesses say was experiencing a mental health crisis, shows Vancouver police repeatedly telling him to drop a gun before firing at him over a dozen times.
Vancouver police released the video summary of the shooting Friday night. It says officers responded about 11:55 p.m. to reports of a disturbance with a weapon at a residence in the 13200 block of Northeast 46th Street.
According to the 911 audio in the video, a woman called to report that her daughter’s companion, later identified by authorities as 44-year-old Perry J. Sellars, had brandished a gun and fired at least one round outside before police arrived.
“My daughter’s companion is running around with a loaded gun. He ran outside, we heard the gunshot,” the caller states in the recording. “He threatened to shoot himself. He’s mentally disturbed.”
In the background of the call, a woman can be heard saying “oh my God,” followed by the sound of a man laughing. The caller told dispatchers that Sellars was holding a gun to his chest and had threatened to kill her when she went outside to check on him.
The body camera footage shows police arriving and approaching the house. Officers confront Sellars and ask him if he’s doing OK. They then see that Sellars is armed with a gun.
The video shows Sellars’ companion standing with a walker in the driveway of the house pleading with him. The 911 caller is seen standing at the front entryway of the home while Sellars moves from the side of the house toward the front of the garage.
Officer James Dewey, who did not fire his weapon, can be heard on the video saying, “Please drop the gun, dude.”
Police repeatedly command Sellars to drop the weapon. In the footage, his companion can be heard yelling, “Baby, please don’t do this!”
In the video, Sellars is seen walking toward the front entryway. Just two seconds after midnight, Officers Sean Donaldson and Christopher Holmquist can be seen firing over a dozen rounds. Sellars falls to the ground.
The video shows that the entire interaction lasted approximately 37 seconds from the time police arrived to the final shot fired.
Sellars did not raise the gun toward the officers or verbally threaten them during the encounter.
After the shooting, police can be heard shouting commands at Sellars not to reach for the firearm while a woman cries in the background. Sellars is seen lying unmoving.
The video shows officers putting on medical gloves and placing Sellars in handcuffs behind his back. Sellars does not speak and remains still. Officers are then seen cutting off his clothes to attempt lifesaving measures.
Sellars was taken to a local hospital where he was declared dead.
The Clark County Medical Examiner’s Office previously said Sellars died of gunshot wounds to his torso.
Donaldson, Holmquist and Dewey have been placed on critical incident leave, which is standard protocol, the police department previously said.
The Washington State Office of Independent Investigations is investigating the shooting.
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