Spokane County Government: From The Spokane Independent Investigation Response Team

Press release from the Spokane County Government:

December 15, 2021

The vehicle fled almost immediately after noticing the deputy’s presence. Deputies did not pursue the vehicle.

At about 0259 hours deputies located the vehicle near N Havana and E Valley Springs Rd. Deputies contacted a female occupant and noticed another set of footprints in the snow indicating an additional person was outstanding.  

Deputies learned the identity of the outstanding party, including that the person had multiple active arrest warrants for crimes to include unlawful possession of a firearm and burglary.

Deputies began checking the area, utilizing the suspect’s footprints in the snow to guide their efforts. At about 5:06AM, deputies encountered the suspect near a residence in the 5400 block of E Bigelow Gulch Rd.  A deputy involved shooting occurred. Deputies rendered first aid, however the person succumbed to their injuries. The deputies were not injured.

Two rifles were recovered at the scene in close proximity to the subject.

The initial investigation indicates the suspect burglarized the property where the encounter took place during which time the suspect stole the weapons recovered at the scene. At this time, there is no indication the subject had any connection to the residence. The homeowners were not present at the time, and there were no injuries to uninvolved persons.

Per standard protocol, the Deputies who fired their service weapons were placed on administrative leave. 

The investigation is in its preliminary stages. More information will be released as appropriate. The identity of the deceased will be released by the Spokane County Medical Examiner’s Office. 

The SIIR Team is comprised of multiple agencies in eastern Washington, including the Spokane Police Department, Washington State Patrol, Spokane Valley Police Department and the Spokane County Sheriff’s Office.  As an involved agency, the Spokane County Sheriff’s Office/Spokane Valley Police personnel will not be involved in this investigation in compliance with WAC 139-12. 

This press release was produced by the Spokane County Government. The views expressed here are the author’s own.