According to a statement VPD released on Tuesday, the man was armed with a knife at the time and did not comply with commands to drop the weapon

The Washington State Office of Independent Investigations (OII) is continuing to investigate a non-fatal use of deadly force that occurred in Vancouver on Tuesday (May 26) involving the Vancouver Police Department (VPD).

The VPD notified OII just past 7 a.m. on May 26 that one of their officers had been involved in a shooting that left one man critically injured. According to a statement VPD released on Tuesday, the man was armed with a knife at the time and did not comply with commands to drop the weapon.

The critically injured man was taken to a local hospital where he continues to receive treatment.

OII has released the name of the officer involved in the incident:

• Officer Alexander Zaferis, age 29, was hired by the Vancouver Police Department in July 2022 and is currently assigned to the Tactical Services Unit.

OII was created to investigate use of deadly force by law enforcement. Due to resources, OII has limited its responses to incidents that result in fatalities. The person shot in this case was reported to have life-threatening injuries. This prompted the OII response and current investigation. It is the first non-fatal use of force OII is investigating since it began responding to such incidents in December 2024.

OII is currently operating in its Region 1-West, which includes 12 counties in Southwest Washington and the Olympic Peninsula, and Region 2-Pierce, which covers all of Pierce County.

A family liaison has been assigned to ensure the person against whom force was used and their family is kept informed on the status of the OII investigation.

To assist with the investigation, OII has established a tip line. Anyone who may have information regarding this incident should call the OII Tip Line at (564) 233-8119. Callers are reminded that all information provided to OII is subject to public disclosure, as required by RCW 42.56, the Public Records Act.

When OII completes its investigation, a Final Case Report detailing findings and outlining the investigation will be posted at oii.wa.gov and made available to the public.