Please be aware that the video contains graphic imagery, and viewer discretion is strongly advised

On July 30, 2025, the Clark County Sheriff’s Office (CCSO) was involved in a deadly use-of-force incident. The Washington State Office of Independent Investigations (OII) is investigating the incident. 

Following a deadly use-of-force incident, the Clark County Sheriff’s Office (CCSO) will release body-worn camera (BWC) video at the sheriff’s discretion. The release of these videos will be separate from the OII’s investigation. 

In compliance with WAC 139-12, Clark County Sheriff’s Office personnel will not be involved in the independent investigation. CCSO will conduct its administrative investigation/review after the OII investigation is completed.  

The Critical Incident Video can be viewed on the CCSO Body-Worn Camera Page. 

The Sheriff’s Office cannot comment on the video release or the ongoing investigation. The video’s release is meant to provide visual context of the incident, as CCSO understands it to have occurred, according to the BWC video.  

Please be aware that the video contains graphic imagery, and viewer discretion is strongly advised.

Background

A Clark County Sheriff’s Office deputy who discharged a weapon is on Critical Incident Leave, as per agency protocol.

According to a release from the sheriff’s office, a person called 9-1-1 at 10:41 p.m. Wednesday (July 30) to report their son was armed and was going to kill the two of them. The caller reported that their son had broken the front door of the home and was inside, high on meth, and had been drinking.

Clark County Sheriff’s Office deputies responded to assist the Vancouver Police Department near East 27th Street and H Street in Vancouver. The caller reported that the subject left the home on a bicycle.

At 10:47 p.m., a Vancouver officer spotted the subject on a bicycle on Columbia Street, then turning southbound on Daniels Street. Less than a minute later, a CCSO deputy reported over the radio that the subject still had a gun.

A few minutes later, deputies located the subject near Main Street and E. 19th Street in downtown Vancouver. At 10:51, an officer-involved shooting occurred.

The subject was provided first aid. The subject was pronounced dead at the scene. He was later identified by the Clark County Medical Examiner’s Office as 36-year-old Vancouver resident Branden Michael Whitcomb.

No law enforcement or uninvolved parties were injured in the incident.

The Clark County Sheriff’s Office notified the Washington State Office of Independent Investigations (OII), which will be investigating the shooting.

The sheriff’s office will not be involved in the independent investigation.

Once the OII investigation is complete, the case will be forwarded to the Clark County Prosecutor’s Office for review. 

Information provided by the Clark County Sheriff’s Office.