The Spokane Independent Investigative Response (SIIR) Team is investigating two separate, but related, law enforcement involved shootings that occurred early this morning.
This morning, August 3, 2022, just before 1:00am, Spokane County Sheriff’s Office received a call about an incident in Spokane Valley. The initial investigation indicated the suspect(s) were involved in a robbery. At least one of the suspects was reported to have been armed. Witnesses were able to give a description of the suspect vehicle involved.
Spokane Police Officers located and began to follow the suspect vehicle. Two people fled from the vehicle on foot but were quickly apprehended by officers. Shortly after, the suspect vehicle crashed in the area of 500 E 3rd. A suspect remained in the vehicle and exchanged gunfire with other officers on scene. One officer sustained minor injuries in the exchange, but was able to be treated and released at the scene.
The suspect then barricaded himself in the vehicle. Resources from SWAT, EDU, Spokane Regional Air Support Unit, Spokane County Sheriff’s Office, and Hostage Negotiation teams as well Spokane Fire Department responded in an attempt to bring this to a peaceful conclusion. Just after 5:00am, officers reported the suspect was firing rounds at them again. Law enforcement continued to communicate with the suspect and used a multitude of force options to try to end the incident safely.
A fire also started during the standoff near the vehicle, adding another layer of complexity to the incident. The fire spread to nearby bushes and a building as well as damaging the suspect’s vehicle. It is unknown at this time what caused the fire.
After nearly 5 hours barricaded in the vehicle, the suspect exited and refused all commands by officers to show his hands. Officers reported they could see he was still armed and shortly before 6:00am, three additional law enforcement personnel, two Spokane Police Officers and one Spokane County Sheriff’s detective, fired their service weapons, striking the suspect.
During the standoff, a mutual aid request was made to agencies in North Idaho. Post Falls Police, Kootenai County Sheriff’s Office and Coeur d’Alene Police responded.
The suspect was pronounced deceased at the scene. The identity of the deceased male will be released by the Medical Examiner’s Office at a later time when appropriate.
No other citizens or law enforcement were injured during this incident.
The SIIR team is processing the scene. Body worn camera footage will be retrieved, as will footage from the surrounding buildings. Witnesses or businesses in the area who may have surveillance footage and have not been contacted are asked to call Crime Check at 509-456-2233. Investigators from the SIIR Team will be reviewing the footage as well as witness statements taken this morning.
This continues to be an active and ongoing investigation.
The SIIR Team is comprised of multiple agencies in eastern Washington, including the Spokane Police Department, the Washington State Patrol and the Spokane County Sheriff’s Office.
• The Washington State Patrol is the managing agency in this incident. All future communications on this incident will be sent via the SIIR Team.
• The Spokane Police Department and the Spokane County Sheriff’s Office will release the names of the officers and detective involved in this incident.
• Once the SIIR Team investigation is complete the case will be forwarded to the Spokane County Prosecutor’s Office for review.