Vancouver Police Shot a Knife-Wielding Burglar Who Had Already Tried to Break Into the Same Woman’s Home Before

She had already called police once before. The man had already tried to break in. And on Tuesday morning, he came back.

This time, he smashed her windows. This time, he walked into her yard with a knife. And this time, officers did not wait to find out what he planned to do next.

What Happened on NE 48th Street

On May 26, 2026, at around 6:35 a.m., Vancouver Police responded to a residential burglary in the 10900 block of NE 48th Street in east Vancouver, Washington.

A woman called 911 after waking up to someone smashing her windows. She told dispatchers she believed it was a man she knew who had already attempted to break into her home days earlier.

She left the house and waited in her car. That detail matters. She was scared enough to get out.

The Moment Officers Arrived

Three officers responded. When they arrived, a man was holding a knife and moving toward the woman in her yard.

They gave commands. He refused to drop the weapon and kept moving toward her.

Officer Alexander Zaferis, 29, assigned to the tactical services unit and with the Vancouver Police Department since 2022, fired his weapon and struck the suspect.

Officers gave immediate medical aid before paramedics arrived, as confirmed by KATU News. The suspect survived. No officers were injured. Zaferis and two witness officers were placed on standard critical incident leave.

The Part That Gets Overlooked

This was not a random break-in. The suspect was known to the woman. He had already tried this before.

That pattern shows up in burglary cases more often than people realize. Repeat targeting of the same home or victim rarely starts with a knife.

It usually starts with exactly what happened here: a first attempt, a near miss, then a return. It follows the same logic seen when a Floyd County man was arrested for burglary after police found him stripping a home from the inside, where familiarity with a property made it a target, not a deterrent.

The woman did everything right. She recognized the threat, got out, called for help, and waited. That decision probably kept this from getting much worse.

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Why This Matters

When a burglary call turns into a knife confrontation in under 15 minutes, the gap between property crime and violent crime collapses fast.

This is not the first time a burglary response put an officer in a life-or-death position. A Chester, Pennsylvania officer was beaten with his own taser after responding to a domestic burglary, showing how fast these calls escalate.

And the threat is not always physical. A Southern California burglary crew bypassed home security systems entirely using Wi-Fi jammers, showing how calculated some of these operations have become.

Nationally, residential burglaries dropped 19% in the first half of 2025 and are down 8.6% compared to 2023, according to data compiled by The Zebra from FBI and Council on Criminal Justice sources. The trend is moving in the right direction.

But a lower national rate does not protect a single woman in east Vancouver who woke up to broken glass and a man she already feared standing in her yard.

The case is now with the Clark County Prosecuting Attorney’s Office, which will review whether the use of force was justified.

Key Takeaways

• Incident occurred May 26, 2026 at 6:35 a.m., NE 48th Street, east Vancouver, Washington
• Woman woke to smashed windows and believed it was the same man who had tried breaking in days earlier
• Suspect found approaching the woman in her yard with a knife, refused commands to drop it
• Officer Alexander Zaferis, 29, fired his weapon; suspect wounded, transported to hospital
• No officers were injured
• Zaferis has been with Vancouver PD since 2022, assigned to the tactical services unit
• Zaferis and two witness officers placed on standard critical incident leave
• Case referred to Clark County Prosecuting Attorney’s Office for use-of-force review

Do you think officers made the right call, or should there have been more options on the table before shots were fired? Drop your take in the comments. Genuinely curious what people think about how these situations should be handled.

Wrapping Up

A woman woke up at 6 in the morning to broken windows and a man she already feared standing in her yard. The fact that she got out of the house and called for help is the reason this did not end worse.

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Disclaimer: This article is for informational purposes only. All details are based on publicly available reports at the time of publication. The investigation is ongoing and findings may change.