Authorities release footage of police shooting man after report of gun and 'aggressive German shepherd'

Editor's note: The video footage released by Vancouver police may be too graphic for some.

PORTLAND, Ore. (KOIN) — The Vancouver Police Department has released vehicle and body-camera footage of a fatal officer-involved shooting that occurred on June 8 shortly after 3 p.m. near 4th and Columbia Streets on the West side of Vancouver.

The shooting occurred after police were dispatched to a report of a man with a gun and “an aggressive German shepherd” who had gotten loose and bit at least one person. Footage of the shooting appears to show 43-year-old Vadim Sashchenko brandish a gun at officers and chuck it into the street moments before one officer opened fire, killing the man.

The video shows the German shepherd acting aggressively toward the officers as they attempted to provide medical treatment to Sashchenko following the shooting. Vancouver Police subdued the dog by shooting it with a 40mm foam baton round and proceeded to give the man medical aid.

“Officers rendered medical aid; however, the male was pronounced deceased at the scene,” the Vancouver Police Department stated.

The officer who shot Sashchenko and an officer who witnessed the shooting were both placed on leave, per police protocol.

The footage of the shooting was released at the discretion of Vancouver Police Chief Jeff Mori. An independent investigation into the shooting is being conducted by the Southwest Washington Independent Investigative Response Team, which is led by the Clark County Sheriff’s Office. The Vancouver Police Department will conduct an internal review after the SWIIRT investigation when it is completed.

No officers or bystanders were injured as a result of the shooting. One person was treated for dog bite wounds in relation to the investigation. The German shepherd was taken to a local Humane Society.