Deputy-Involved Shooting while Assisting the Stevens County Sheriff’s Office with an Armed and Wanted Suspect
This incident began at a home in North Spokane County earlier in the day when the suspect reportedly shot at a victim and threatened to kill him. The suspect fled to a residence in Stevens County, prompting the Stevens County Sheriff’s Office to request our assistance.
As night fell, the suspect fled the home into a wooded area and was contained as members of the Spokane County Sheriff’s Office SWAT Team, Crisis Negotiators, Spokane Regional Air Support Unit, and Rescue Task Force arrived. The suspect fired several rounds during that time, but his target is unknown. Efforts to de-escalate the situation were unsuccessful, and after several hours, the armed suspect, wearing body armor, approached members of the SWAT Team. Shots were fired and the suspect was struck. Once the scene was safe, emergency medical aid was provided. Despite these efforts, the suspect was pronounced deceased at the scene.
Neither the original Spokane County victim, victims/witnesses at the scene in Stevens County, nor any first responders were injured. The Spokane Independent Investigative Response (SIIR) Team is investigating.
On October 12, 2022, at approximately 3:15 pm, Spokane County Sheriff’s Deputies responded to a report of a person with a weapon call in the 42800 block of N. Spotted Road in North Spokane County.
The adult male victim reported the armed suspect pointed a pistol at his head and threatened to kill him. The victim said the suspect fired a shot, but he was not hit. With the suspect’s actions and threats, the victim said he thought he would die. The suspect fled in a vehicle. Responding Deputies recovered a spent casing and a bullet from the scene.
The investigation established probable cause to charge the suspect with Assault 1st Degree and Harassment-Threats to Kill, both felonies.
Information, the suspect, was armed and may have fled north was provided to Stevens County and local law enforcement agencies.
At approximately 6:00 pm, the Stevens County Sheriff’s Office requested assistance through a mutual aid agreement. They advised the suspect fled to a home in the 4000 block of State Route 395 in the Loon Lake area, and they urged the public to stay inside and lock their doors.
Members of the Spokane County Sheriff’s Office SWAT Team, Crisis Negotiators, Spokane Regional Air Support Unit, and Rescue Task Force responded to the location to assist. The Spokane Police Department also sent personnel with equipment to support our teams during this extremely dangerous situation.
At approximately 7:05 pm, an Unmanned Aerial System (UAS/drone) located the suspect hiding in a wooded area. A perimeter was established as SWAT, and perimeter units gave announcements for the suspect to surrender peacefully. Crisis Negotiators attempted to make contact, but efforts to de-escalate this dangerous standoff were unsuccessful.
During this time, the suspect fired multiple shots, but it is unclear what or who he was firing at as he continually yelled, including threats to shoot law enforcement. Advisories for the suspect to surrender peacefully continued throughout this incident to no avail.
Due to the extreme danger, Life Flight and AMR medical services were placed on standby.
Just before 10:15 pm, the UAS operators advised the suspect was moving toward SWAT Team members who had taken up positions around the location. At some point, two SWAT Team members fired their weapons, striking the suspect. Once safe, emergency medical aid was provided to the suspect, who was wearing body armor.
Despite life-saving efforts, the suspect was pronounced deceased at the scene.
The Officer-Involved Protocol was enacted, and the Spokane Independent Investigative Response (SIIR) Team is on-scene investigating the incident.
The SIIR Team is comprised of multiple agencies in eastern Washington, including the Spokane Police Department, the Washington State Patrol, Liberty Lake Police Department, Airway Heights Police Department, the Spokane County Sheriff's Office, and the Spokane Valley Police Department.
- The Spokane Independent Investigative Response (SIIR) Team is investigating this Deputy-Involved shooting.
- The Spokane Police Department is the case managing agency in this incident. All future communications regarding this incident will be sent via the SIIR Team.
- The Spokane County Sheriff's Office will release the names of the Deputies involved in this incident at a later time.
- The Stevens County Coroner’s Office will release the name of the deceased along with his cause and manner of death when appropriate.
Once the SIIR Team investigation is complete, the case will be forwarded to the Spokane County Prosecutor’s Office for review.
In compliance with WAC 139-12, Spokane County Sheriff’s Office/Spokane Valley Police Department personnel will not be involved in this investigation.