A Vancouver police officer shot and killed a 16-year-old boy while investigating a disturbance Tuesday night at a Southeast Ellsworth Road apartment complex, according to the Vancouver Police Department.

The boy was identified by a family friend as Clayton Joseph. He was a student at Evergreen High School, according to district spokeswoman Gail Spolar. Joseph began attending the high school in December, she said.

A police statement said the incident began about 11:05 p.m. Tuesday when police were dispatched to a report of a disturbance between a male and female at an apartment complex in the 1200 block of Southeast Ellsworth Road. Witnesses reported that two males, both possibly armed, had then become involved in an altercation in the parking lot.

Officers arriving at the scene encountered Joseph. Police said the boy had brandished a knife and refused commands to drop the weapon before he was shot.

The boy was taken to a hospital for medical treatment but later died.