August 24, 2022
SIIR Press Release for Officer Involved Shooting
Update #3 August 24, 2022
This is an update to the original press release put out by the Spokane Independent Investigative Response Team on August 4, 2022. SIIR is sending out this release as the required weekly update to the incident that occurred on August 3, 2022, regarding an Officer (s) involved shooting at 613 E. 3rd Avenue in Spokane, Investigators continue to gather information related to the incident, nothing new to report at this time.
**Original SIIR Release**
SIIR Investigates Officer Involved Shooting In Spokane County
August 4, 2022
On August 3rd, 2022 at approximately 12:21 a.m., three males traveled from Spokane to the Oxford Suites in Spokane Valley where they committed an armed robbery. The males fled the scene in a van and shortly thereafter, the driver dropped off the two passengers in downtown Spokane.
The driver then crashed the van into a business on the northeast corner of South Sheridan Street and 3rd Avenue in Spokane. Responding Spokane Police Department (SPD) units arrived at the collision scene and the van’s sole occupant fired shots at the officers. Two officers responded with gunfire at approximately 1:00 a.m. and the subject barricaded himself in the van and was uninjured during the initial shooting event. One officer at the scene sustained minor injuries from shrapnel.
Due to the serious nature of the event, Special Weapons and Tactics (SWAT) team members from the Spokane Police Department, Spokane County Sheriff’s Office (SCSO), Kootenai County Sheriff’s Office, and Coeur d’Alene Police Department responded to the scene of the barricaded subject.
A standoff ensued and multiple attempts were made to have the subject exit the van. After a prolonged standoff, the subject exited the van armed with a handgun. One SCSO deputy and two SPD officers fired their service weapons and struck the subject at approximately 6:02 a.m. and the subject died of his injuries at the scene.
The Spokane Independent Investigative Response (SIIR) Team protocol was enacted at that time and the Washington State Patrol (WSP) was tasked with primary investigative responsibilities as required by law. Criminal Investigation Unit (CIU) members from Spokane and Tri-Cities responded along with investigators from the WSP Spokane Regional Auto Theft Task Force (SRATTF), WSP Spokane Missing and Exploited Children’s Task Force (MECTF), Liberty Lake Police Department, and Airway Heights Police Department. The WSP Crime Scene Response Team (CSRT) was utilized for forensic evidence documentation and collection at the scene. This remains an ongoing investigation and this information is preliminary as the investigation continues.
The Spokane Police Department will remain the investigative agency for the robbery event.
This Press release is required in compliance with WAC 139-12, which mandates weekly updates be sent out by the lead investigative agency in investigations where a Washington State Peace Officer uses deadly force in the capacity of his or her law enforcement duties. These updates are required even if no new information is available at the time of the update.
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