The suspect has not yet been located but has been identified

VANCOUVER — Officers from the Vancouver Police Department responded to a reported domestic violence incident early Tuesday morning that resulted in shots being fired between an officer and one of the suspects.

On Tuesday (April 7) at about 1 a.m., a Vancouver police officer was driving in the area of East Fourth Plain Blvd. and Grand Blvd. when he observed two vehicles at the intersection, one driven by a male, and the other driven by a female. The officer believed shots were fired from one vehicle to the other.

The vehicles proceeded through the intersection and shortly thereafter, the male began driving westbound in the eastbound lanes of Fourth Plain Blvd. He continued driving in the wrong lane of travel before realizing the police were behind him. The female driver also continued to follow.

The Vancouver police officer following the male suspect believed the driver fired a shot at him and the officer returned fire. The suspect proceeded toward Interstate 5, driving southbound in the northbound lanes of I-5 crossing into Oregon. The officer stopped in the area of Jantzen Beach to be treated for minor injuries from flying glass. The female driver also pulled into Jantzen Beach and spoke with police officers there.

It was determined that the male and the female are in a domestic relationship and are known to one another. The suspect vehicle is spotted again on I-5 north at the Fourth Plain Blvd. exit and was located unoccupied near I-5 and the VA campus.

The SW Washington Regional SWAT team responded to the area near where the vehicle was located to conduct a search of the area, to include a K9 track. The suspect has not yet been located but has been identified. There is not believed to be any threat to the general public.

The involved officer was not seriously injured and there have been no reports of injuries as a result of the shooting or the pursuit.

The involved officer has been identified as Keith Kircher, 32. Officer Kircher was hired by the Vancouver Police Department in August 2019. He previously worked as a police officer for the Maui Police Department from August 2016-July 2019. Kircher is currently assigned to West Precinct Patrol.

Following standard department protocol, he is on critical incident leave.

The Vancouver Police Department Major Crimes Team is investigating. The involved officer is currently on critical incident leave, per standard protocol.

Additional information will be released once it’s available. Nothing further is releasable at this time.

Information provided by the Vancouver Police Department.