Police in Washington state fatally shot a man suspected of robbing a Baskin-Robbins on Wednesday, the Spokesman-Review reported.
Officers said they were watching the suspect in a home following the armed robbery, which took place on Tuesday. According to police spokeswoman Monique Cotton, authorities tried to negotiate with the suspect. Instead, he walked outside of the house and refused to cooperate.
One witness, John Svavarsson, told the Spokesman-Review he was driving home when he stopped to watch the incident unfold. He said as the man walked out of the home, he heard officers yell "Drop it! Drop it!"
"He was blank," Svavarsson said of the suspect.
Authorities fired multiple shots at the suspect and hit him.
The name of the suspect has not been released.
"At some point the officers believed their safety and the safety of the community was at risk," said Chief Frank Straub.
In a news release, Cotton said first responders arrived to apply first aid to the suspect.
Police said a handgun was found nearby. According to Straub, the officers were in the process of obtaining a search warrant for the home the man was in and said a SWAT team was on their way because he was suspected to be armed.
Within the past month, there have been 11 reported armed robberies in Spokesman, the local paper said.
