Vancouver, Washington — On July 30th, 2025, at approximately 10:41 p.m., a person called 911 to report that their son was armed with a gun and was going to kill them. The caller reported that their son had broken the front door of the home and was inside, was high on meth, and had been drinking. Clark County Sheriff’s Office (CCSO) deputies responded to assist the Vancouver Police Department near East 27th Street and H Street in Vancouver. As deputies responded, the caller reported that the subject left the home on a bicycle. At 10:47 p.m., a Vancouver Police Officer observed the subject on a bicycle riding on Columbia Street, then turning Southbound on Daniels Street.
Roughly 30 seconds later, a CCSO Deputy reported over the radio that the subject “still has gun on him.” Several minutes later, deputies located the subject near Main Street & E 19th Street in downtown Vancouver. At 10:51 p.m., an officer-involved shooting occurred. Law enforcement personnel provided first aid to the man. Medics pronounced the man deceased at the scene. No law enforcement or uninvolved parties were physically injured. The Clark County Medical Examiner’s Office identified the man as 36-year-old Branden Michael Whitcomb. Deputy Michael Gonzalez is now on Critical Incident Leave, per standard protocol.
Deputy Gonzalez was involved in two previous incidents where police shot suspects to death. In 2019, Gonzalez, then with Portland police, and another officer shot to death a man suspected of stabbing four people. A grand jury determined that the officers’ actions were justified. Gonzalez used his patrol car in 2021 to help stop a suspect fleeing in another car. The pursuit ended with two other deputies fatally shooting the suspect.
