Vancouver man, 72, allegedly pointed gun at group near his apartment

A 72-year-old man who lives at an apartment complex for veterans was arrested Sunday night after allegedly pointing a firearm at a group of people.

Robert R. Fitzgerald was booked into the Clark County Jail on suspicion of three counts of first-degree assault and a single count of felony harassment.

Officers were dispatched around 8:30 p.m. to the Freedom’s Path apartments, 1615 E. Fourth Plain Blvd., for a report of a disturbance with a weapon, Vancouver Police Department spokeswoman Kim Kapp said.

Police report notes indicate that a man pointed a gun at a group of people near the complex’s parking lot, Kapp said. He retreated inside his apartment before officers arrived, she said.

The incident prompted a large police response to the location near the Vancouver VA campus; officers set up containment around Fitzgerald’s building and commanded him to exit. He eventually did and was taken into custody, according to the police department.

Fitzgerald’s firearm was determined to be a realistic-looking pellet gun, police said.

Source: https://www.columbian.com