03:48 PM PDT on Tuesday, May 16, 2006

By CHRIS DANIELS / KING 5 News and Wire Reports

BREMERTON, Wash. - Kitsap County's sheriff said two deputies were forced to shoot when a 26-year-old man dashed toward them with a machete early Tuesday morning in Bremerton, killing the man. 

The incident happened around 4 a.m. on the 3700 block of E Street in the Navy Yard City neighborhood, just west of the Puget Sound Naval Shipyards. Family members and friends of the shooting victim were still wondering what happened.

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According to Kitsap County Sheriff Steve Boyer, when the two deputies arrived at the scene the 26-year-old man approached them with a machete. 

“There were four shots fired at point blank range - no ‘Freeze, I'm gonna shoot.’ Nothing like that," said neighbor Judy Sahuer.

But police said the shooting was a case of self defense.  Police say someone called 911 to say help was needed at the home.  According to Kitsap County Sheriff Steve Boyer, when the two deputies arrived, the man approached them with a machete. 

“He ran close to 50 feet towards the deputies,” said Boyer.  “And as I understand it, the deputies ordered him to drop the machete.  He came forward, failed to comply, and they had to use lethal force." 

Boyer wouldn’t say how many shots were fired, but shell casings littered the ground of the crime scene.  Police also say they still don’t know what prompted the 911 call or whether drugs or alcohol played a part in the death.

The 26-year-old man had a criminal history that included marijuana possession and a protection order. Family members of the shooting victim said he may have suffered from some type of sleeping disorder.

Sheriff's investigators said the Navy Yard City neighborhood has a high crime rate. Deputies have reportedly been called in the past to the house where the shooting happened. 

The two deputies involved, four- and six-year veterans of the department, were placed on administrative leave as normal procedure. Detectives with Washington State Patrol were handling the investigation.