Ritzville police shoot and kill person who had machete at gas station

Ritzville police shot and killed a person they say was suicidal at a Love’s Travel Stop late Saturday night.

Ritzville police and a Washington State Patrol trooper responded to reports of a suicidal person at 11:20 p.m. Saturday night in the parking lot of the Love’s Travel Stop at the junction of State Route 261 and U.S. Highway 395.

“At some point in the contact the Ritzville officer discharged his weapon and struck the subject,” a statement from the Ritzville Police Department reads.

The officers provided first aid until an ambulance arrived. Theperson died at East Adams Rural Community Hospital .

After the scene was secured, a machete was discovered by investigators, according to Ritzville Police.

The Central Basin Investigation Team is conducting the investigation.