Alleged Port Angeles bank robbery results in officers shooting suspect

Two Port Angeles Police Department (PAPD) officers shot and killed an alleged robbery suspect brandishing a gun outside a bank Friday morning.

According to a statement from the PAPD sent to KIRO Newsradio, the incident began just before 10 a.m. Friday when Peninsula Communications‘ (PenCom) 911 dispatch center received notification of a confirmed “Hold Up” alarm from the Chase Bank on W. Front Street. PAPD officers were immediately dispatched and arrived at the bank just after the 911 call. Clallam County Sheriff’s Deputies and Officers from the Lower Elwha Klallam Tribe also responded, the statement reads.

From there, the two PAPD officers responding to the bank alarm discovered what appeared to be a subject armed with a handgun outside the bank. That person was associated with the reported incident in the bank and was reportedly noncompliant and uncooperative upon the officers’ arrival. That led to the officers firing on the suspect.

“The PAPD Officers were confronted with a lethal threat and that they carried out their duties to protect the public and other officers,” the department said in its statement.

Officers and deputies immediately rendered emergency medical aid to the male suspect. The City of Port Angeles Fire Department also responded and paramedics attempted to save the suspect’s life, but he died at the scene.

Investigation shifts to another agency

Since it was determined the PAPD officers fired their duty weapons at the suspect, the investigation of the underlying crime and the use of force will fall under the investigative purview of the Kitsap Critical Incident Response Team (KCIRT), the department’s release states. (Readers can learn more about the KCRIT by viewing a PDF available here.)

Investigation of the original crime and the use of force will fall under the investigative purview of KCIRT. The PAPD will not be involved in the criminal investigation. The department will conduct an internal investigation at a later time.

An earlier statement on the city of Port Angeles’ Facebook page stated that “Front Street (between Lincoln Street and Oak Street) and Laurel Street (between First Street and Railroad Avenue) were closed. Traffic heading west on Front Street is being re-routed to Lincoln Street to get to Highway 101.”

This detour is expected to be in place for approximately 12 hours, meaning it should end late Friday night.

Analysis: Port Angeles shooting is 15th involving Washington officers in 2024

The Washington Post began, in 2015, to log every person shot and killed by an on-duty police officer in the United States.

According to that media outlet’s analysis, Friday’s officer-involved shooting in Port Angeles is the 15th in the state of Washington this year.

The state’s last shooting involving police officers took place on April 17 when Seattle Police Department (SPD) officers shot and killed 67-year-old Bruce Meneley. He was suspected of committing crimes against children and was killed inside the DoubleTree Hotel in Tukwila.

More on this case: Seattle police kill man suspected of committing crimes against children, officer injured

SPD said the Internet Crimes Against Children Taskforce was conducting an operation inside the hotel when gunfire broke out.

Steve Coogan is the lead editor of MyNorthwest. You can read more of his stories here. Follow Steve on X, formerly known as Twitter, here and email him here.