A 32-year-old Nanaimo man was killed by police in Washington following an hours-long standoff on I-5 on November 18th.
The Thurston County Coroner confirmed the identity of the suspect as Neil Alexander Costin.
On that Friday afternoon, Washington State Police (WSP) received calls of a man running into traffic on I-5, causing traffic to come to a stop.
Police said he attempted to open multiple car doors before reportedly assaulting and forcing the driver of a semi-truck out.
The #WSP was involved in an officer-involved shooting that has both directions of I-5 closed at Martin Way. The Region 3 Critical Investigation Team (CIIT) will be investigating with the Lewis County Sheriff’s Office as primary. All media inquiries should be directed to LCSO. pic.twitter.com/FquZNxBswZ
— Trooper John Dattilo (@wspd1pio) November 19, 2022
According to WSP, the man drove the carjacked semi-truck into other vehicles eventually rolling the truck in the median forcing the closure of both lanes of the I-5.
After rolling the truck, Costin refused to come out of the vehicle. KOMO News said they received reports that Costin was extremely agitated.
Police, along with a negotiator, and an armored vehicle, were called to the scene to assist, but Costin refused to get out of the truck.
After hours of negotiating, police smashed the windshield of vehicle and rammed the vehicle. Reports say the man eventually exited the cab of the truck and was seen running at police with a knife before being fatally shot by officers.
🚨 Happening Now 🚨
I-5 is blocked in both directions at Martin Way in Olympia. Travelers are advised to avoid the area. pic.twitter.com/C4og2JagxF— WSDOT Tacoma (@wsdot_tacoma) November 18, 2022
Working with the Lewis County Sheriff’s Office, Thurston County Coroner Gary Warnock said the man’s fingerprints were sent to the FBI to help identify him.
Once Costin was identified as the deceased, it was revealed he had been detained by US Customs and Border Protection on November 15th.
According to reports, Costin had been at a logging camp just south of the Canadian border. He had been dropped off in Sumas, Washington, where he gave border patrol agents a fake name and told them he was a US citizen.
After a search and questioning, he was eventually released into the US.
Due to the lack of ID, it took authorities 10 days to identify Costin. His next of kin of been notified.
