Statement from Spokane Police Chief Craig Meidl regarding the Officer Involved Shooting (OIS):
Last evening’s Officer Involved Shooting is currently being investigated by the Spokane Investigative Regional Response (SIRR) Team and that has not changed.
I do not want to circumvent that important process or protocol, but I feel it is important to provide an update to the preliminary information I provided last night immediately following the incident. It was a promise I made when I became Chief—to be as open and transparent as possible and to provide as much information as I can with our community without jeopardizing an investigation.
Last night just before 10:30 p.m., Spokane Police officers were dispatched to the 600 block of W. Montgomery Ave. after an individual called 9-1-1 advising a neighbor was firing a gun at them. The reporting party who called 9-1-1, neighboring witnesses and officers have advised they heard what they believed to be gun shots. Officers on scene also advised they observed the suspect holding a long object, which they believed to be consistent with a rifle or shotgun.
Adding to the preliminary information I provided last night, minutes after the incident, today I learned investigators recovered a baseball bat from the scene and a firearm was not located. The SIRR Team will continue their investigation to learn the facts of what occurred during this incident, why witnesses and officers believed they heard gun shots, and what led up to the use of deadly force. Officers on scene were equipped with body cameras which will be reviewed by investigators along with any footage captured by cameras in the area.
This is an ongoing investigation and a more detailed account of what occurred before and during this incident will be learned following a complete and thorough SIRR investigation. All future communications on this incident will be provided by the SIRR.
Prior release:
SIRR Team Investigating an Officer Involved Shooting
Spokane Police officers were involved in an Officer Involved Shooting (OIS) incident tonight. One officer fired their service rifle striking the subject.
No officers were injured during this incident.
The incident is being investigated by the Spokane Investigative Regional Response (SIRR) Team.
The following is preliminary information gathered from statements of involved parties and witness officers.
Tonight, January 7, 2019, just before 10:30pm, Spokane Police officers responded to the report of a male firing a gun at neighbors in the 600 block of west Montgomery. Officers were on scene within a couple minutes of the original call placed to 911. Shortly after arriving on scene, officers reported hearing what they believed to be at least one shot coming from the area of suspect’s house. Just after that, officers advised shots had been fired.
The suspect fled back into the home, leaving officers unsure of whether or not he had been injured. In order to ensure the safety of the people in neighboring homes, officers started evacuating houses closest to the suspect’s residence and advising other neighbors to shelter in place. Officers approached the suspect’s home in an armored vehicle, were able to see the adult male suspect injured and apparently unconscious inside. Officers and a team of Spokane Fire Department’s Rescue Task Force (RTF) medics entered the home and provided medical aid, but the male was declared deceased at the scene.
Officers on scene were equipped with body worn cameras. Any footage captured by the body cameras, as well as any captured by cameras in the area, will be reviewed by investigators.
The Officer Involved Protocol was enacted. The SIRR Team is on-scene investigating the incident and processing the scene. The SIRR 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 Spokane County Sheriff’s Office is the managing agency in this incident. All future communications on this incident will be sent via the SIRR Team.
• The Spokane Police Department will release the names of the officers involved in this incident.
• Once the SIRR Team investigation is complete the case will be forwarded to the Spokane County Prosecutor’s Office for review.
• The Spokane County Medical Examiner’s Office will release the name of the deceased.
Michele Anderson | Public Safety Communications Manager
Spokane Police Department | Spokane Fire Department