VANCOUVER, Wash., Nov. 12 (UPI) -- Police in Washington state mistakenly shot a good samaritan who reported suspicious activity on Halloween, thinking he was the gunman they were chasing.
The police mistook him for 59-year-old John Kendall, who allegedly shot his neighbor Abigail Mounce in the face and the drove to the woods where he shot himself in the head. The man who found the car reported it to police and remained at the scene.
The VPD officers reportedly did not know the person who called 911 was there and fired on him, shooting him in the leg.
"Law enforcement personnel watched as the citizen (believed to be Kendall) exited his vehicle and circled behind his trunk," said police. "Fearing that he armed himself, law enforcement fired multiple shots at the individual in order to stop the perceived threat before the citizen could enter the woods."
The man took cover and then fired a shot back before calling police to tell them he had been shot.
The man asked not to be publicly identified and was released from the hospital on Nov. 1. Mounce is expected to survive her injuries.
Corporal Chris Leblanc, 47; Officer Brian Frances, 38; and Deputy Anthony Spainhower, 39 have all been put on administrative leave pending an investigation.
