A man who made suicidal statements was shot to death by police after a standoff, the Spokane Police Department said.
The man, identified by his family as James Edward Rogers, 45, had made suicidal threats Monday at his place of work, police said. He took off when police arrived and rolled his van at an intersection in the city's lower South Hill neighborhood. A SWAT team and negotiators responded.
Police spokeswoman Jennifer DeRuwe told The Spokesman-Review ( http://bit.ly/qFwvC4) that officers had to shoot because they were concerned about public safety.
"He was posing a threat to the community because he was armed," DeRuwe told the newspaper. She couldn't say whether officers had been fired upon.
Neighbors told the newspaper the man had threatened officers from inside the van, claiming he was armed and warning that he had "plenty of ammo." They said police tried negotiating with him, at times using a megaphone, and urged him to surrender.
Shortly before 8:30 p.m., several rapid gunshots were heard. The man was pronounced dead at the scene.
A team from the Spokane County Sheriff's Office, the Washington State Patrol and Spokane police will investigate the incident.
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