Clark County saw an upswell of grief and protests following the shooting death of a 21-year-old Camas man after a confrontation with police Oct. 29.
On the evening of Oct. 30, hundreds came out for a candlelight vigil at the Hazel Dell parking lot where Kevin E. Peterson, Jr., a Black man, was fatally shot the evening prior.
According to an investigation into the events leading to Peterson’s death, detectives and officers with the Clark/Vancouver Regional Drug Task Force had contacted Peterson shortly before 6 p.m. Thursday evening in the parking lot of the Quality Inn on Northeast Highway 99.
Peterson, who was alone in a vehicle, fled on foot, and eventually produced a handgun that was found near his body after he was shot, according to the investigation. After revealing the weapon, three Clark County Sheriff’s Office deputies shot their firearms at Peterson.
The officers involved in the shooting have been placed on administrative leave as is usual for such events, the investigation noted. The investigation is performed by a regional independent investigation team.
The afternoon following the shooting, Clark County Sheriff Chuck Atkins gave a prepared statement regarding Peterson’s death. Though not directly involved with the investigation, Atkins said it was his “commitment to participate as much as I can in ensuring that there is a complete, thorough independent determination of what happened.”
Atkins said Peterson fired at deputies before being killed, though that claim has not been confirmed by investigators thus far.
Atkins called for a “respectful and dignified observance of the loss of life in this matter,” warning against potential misinformation spreading while the investigation was ongoing. Noting there was the vigil planned later that evening, Atkins said that “(i)t is right and correct that the community would grieve along with (Peterson’s) family.”
While the vigil remained relatively peaceful, Friday night’s activities spurred by Peterson’s death did lead to property damage and arrests in downtown Vancouver.
A report from the Vancouver Police Department stated that what began as a peaceful demonstration around 10 p.m. Oct. 30 near Esther Short Park “switched to destructive behavior to include destruction of property and vandalism.” Two dumpster fires were reported, and after midnight the group, which ended up growing to about 300 people, congregated near the Clark County Jail, throwing rocks at law enforcement, according to VPD.
The group was ordered to disperse, though demonstrators gathered back at Esther Short Park shortly after, VPD reported. There was a report of shots fired by one of the protestors, though no injuries were reported related to the alleged firing.
Shortly before 1 a.m. another order to disperse was given, with most of the crowd complying, according to VPD reports. Six arrests for failure to disperse were made — Daniel C. Ring, 28, of Vancouver; Laura L. Vetsch, 28, of Eugene, Oregon; Ruby D. Martin, 31, of Eugene, Oregon; Fahiym B. Acuay, 39, of Portland; Michael B. Rivera, 39, of Camas; and Nick I. Caleb, 37, unknown city of residence.
Police reported that multiple businesses in the downtown area incurred property damage, including broken windows and graffiti. In VPD’s release on the events and arrests, police chief James McElvain, Vancouver Mayor Anne McEnerny-Ogle and Vancouver City Manager Eric Holmes spoke against the property damage, acknowledging that Peterson’s death was a tragedy and supporting those who peacefully protested.
The Vancouver chapter of the NAACP also responded to the damage caused by the late-night demonstrations. Chapter president Bridgette Fahnbulleh condemned the destruction, clarifying that the chapter was not involved or consulted in organizing the protest.
“We also want to make it abundantly clear to the participants that your non-peaceful behavior is totally antithetical to our values as an organization and as black citizens of Vancouver,” the NAACP statement read.
