Owner of Vacant Home Reports Possible Burglars, and Responds
Misidentifies Deputies at Scene as Suspects and Fires Handgun Twice
Spokane County Sheriff’s Deputies investigating a possible reported burglary at a vacant home were misidentified by the very homeowner who called requesting Deputies to respond when he arrived at the location. The homeowner arrived in his truck, honking and yelling, just before firing a pistol twice out of the window. Then noticing the marked patrol cars on the side of the road, he panicked and fled. Deputies caught up to the vehicle and safely took the male into custody. After completing the investigation, the man was booked into jail. Thankfully, no one was injured during this incident.
On June 22, 2021, at approximately 10:25 hours, a male, identified as 36-year-old Marshall F. Gibbs, reported seeing surveillance video of a subject walking around his vacant home, under construction, in the 4500 block of W. Thorpe Road.
Gibbs reported he drove by the location but didn’t feel safe checking the home without law enforcement assistance. He explained this is an ongoing problem, and Deputies have previously responded.
Deputies, in full uniforms and marked patrol cars, arrived a few minutes later, parked on the side of the road near the home, and began to check the residence. As they did, suddenly they heard a vehicle continuously honking its horn as it approached the location on Thorpe Road. The white GMC truck continued honking as it accelerated to the rear of another vehicle traveling eastbound.
A Deputy shined his flashlight at the vehicle as it continued to the front of the home. Suddenly a male (Gibbs) yelled, “Get the (expletive) out of here!” and immediately fired a pistol twice.
One Deputy on the side of the home in the open heard the gunshots and saw the muzzle flashes. Believing he was being shot at and fearing for his life, he immediately took cover. The GMC then accelerated away from the location.
The Deputies ran back to their patrol cars and quickly caught up to the vehicle in the 5500 block of S. Assembly and conducted a high-risk traffic stop. Gibbs followed commands and was safely detained without further incident.
Gibbs was advised of his rights and agreed to answer questions. He also gave consent for Deputies to retrieve the two pistols, a Taurus Judge revolver and a Ruger LC9 9mm semiautomatic, located in his truck. The Taurus had 4 of the 5 chambers loaded with .410 shotshells, two of which had been fired. The Ruger had six live rounds loaded in the magazine, and the chamber was empty.
Gibbs explained as he drove around the area, his wife called him that there were subjects at the property breaking into the house. Gibbs decided to drive up to the location, honking his horn and yell at the people. Gibbs did admit to firing two shots into the air from the Taurus with the intent to scare away the people he believed were breaking into the house. Just after firing the two shots, Gibbs noticed the marked patrol cars parked on the side of the road and panicked. Not knowing what to do, he drove away.
A check of Gibbs’ name revealed he had an expired concealed pistol license and prohibited from carrying a loaded handgun in his vehicle.
Deputies contacted Gibbs’ wife, and she confirmed she did call Gibbs and told him she saw people on the property and believed they were breaking into the house. After she got off the phone, she watched the video and noticed the people were Spokane County Sheriff’s Deputies. She tried to call Gibbs and advise him it was Deputies at the home, but Gibbs did not answer.
Gibbs was transported and booked into the Spokane County Jail for Assault 1st Degree (attempted), Drive-by Shooting, Reckless Endangerment (three counts), and Unlawfully Carrying a Firearm.
