ByCorrection appended
The manandnbsp;shot and killed by a police officerandnbsp;Wednesday in Kelso has been identified as a 27-year-old homeless man who has connections to Spokane.andnbsp;
A Kelso police officer fatally shotandnbsp;Omer Ismail Ali after Ali allegedlyandnbsp;attacked a gas station clerk, customer and the officer with a walking stick, the Cowlitz County Sheriff's Office said in a news release. Ali died of aandnbsp;gunshot wound to the chest, according to the results of an autopsy performed Friday.
Ali, who immigrated to the U.S. from Sudan as a refugee in 2013, also suffered a "gunshot wound of the jaw and neck," deputies said.andnbsp;
Warning:andnbsp;This video contains graphic content.
Ali tried to shopliftandnbsp;from aandnbsp;Flying K gas station food martandnbsp;in West Kelso shortly after 8 a.m., deputies said. They said the store's clerks told him to leave, and heandnbsp;threatened them andandnbsp;walked away. The Kelso officer, John Johnston, arrivedandnbsp;shortly thereafterandnbsp;to take a report.andnbsp;
As Johnston and one of the clerks were reviewing surveillance footage in an office, Ali returned to the store and began hitting a clerk and a customer with the stick, authorities said.andnbsp;
The Cowlitz County Sheriff's Office released a photo of the walking stick Omer Ismail Ali allegedly used to attack a gas station clerk, customer and police officer on Aug. 17, 2016. The officer fatally shot Ali.andnbsp;Cowlitz County Sheriff Mark Nelsonandnbsp;said in a news conference Wednesday thatandnbsp;Johnstonandnbsp;tried to intervene but was struck in the head. Johnstonandnbsp;was also injured in the arm and leg, police said.andnbsp;Johnstonandnbsp;then shot Ali.
Johnstonandnbsp;is a 22-year member of the Kelso Police Department, deputies said. Johnston, the clerk and the customer were taken to a hospital, and each of them were treated and released.
The encounter was Ali's second at the Flying K that morning, deputies said. They said he showed up at the store around 1:10 a.m., toting a flat board, and was told to leaveandnbsp;by police and employees. Police took the board.
Policeandnbsp;also contacted him twice between the Flying K altercations, deputies said. They said officers had contacted Ali or received reports about him multipleandnbsp;timesandnbsp;since Saturday.
Aliandnbsp;was arrested Saturdayandnbsp;in Cougar, Washington, for allegedly driving with a suspended license, deputies said. They said the car, a rental, had been stolen in Washington's Whatcom County.
Deputies said heandnbsp;had a pair of non-extraditable, misdemeanor warrantsandnbsp;out of Spokane and Blaine, Washington.
Aliandnbsp;was released Monday from the Cowlitz County Jail, deputies said.
The sheriff's office is still investigating Wednesday'sandnbsp;case.
— Jim Ryan<
br>mailto:[email protected]:[email protected]@oregonian.com<
br>503-221-8005;andnbsp;@Jimryan015andnbsp;
Oregonian/OregonLive staff and wire reports contributed to this report
A previous version of this report incorrectly identified the officer involved in the shooting,andnbsp;due to a reporter's error.