Spokane County deputy dies, second not expected to survive after Spangle shooting that left three dead (Nov. 4)
Updated: 5 hours ago
Updated 6:20 p.m. PT Nov. 4: One deputy has died and the other is not expected to survive, the Spokane County Sheriff's Office said. This is a developing story.
Quick Read
Three people, including the suspect, died after a domestic violence shooting at a home near Spangle in south Spokane County on Tuesday, Nov. 3, the Spokane County Sheriff's Office said.
One of the two Spokane County deputies shot as they tried to enter the home died at the hospital overnight, and the other is on life support and not expected to survive, the sheriff's office said Wednesday, Nov. 4.
A woman who reported that her brother shot her had non-life-threatening injuries.
Spokane police are investigating the deaths, and the Washington State Patrol is reviewing the deputies' use of force.
SPOKANE COUNTY, Wash. - A Spokane County sheriff's deputy has died and a second is not expected to survive after a shooting and firefight at a home near Spangle on Tuesday afternoon, Nov. 3, the sheriff's office said Wednesday, according to The Spokesman-Review and The Associated Press. Three people, including the suspect, were also killed, Sheriff John Nowels said.
What happened
Deputies were sent to a home in the 18700 block of South Smythe Road around 2:25 p.m. after a woman ran to a neighbor's house and said her brother had shot her, Nowels said at a news conference Tuesday evening, The Spokesman-Review reported. She told dispatchers other people inside the home could be in danger.
Using drones, deputies found a person down in the yard and moved that person to safety, but the person had died, the sheriff said. Deputies learned the suspect had an active felony warrant, which Nowels described as a warrant for eluding, according to The Spokesman-Review.
Around 3:15 p.m., SWAT team members and deputies approached the home and tried to breach the door. They were immediately met with gunfire, and two deputies suffered life-threatening wounds, Nowels said. Three deputies returned fire. Another person was later found dead inside the home, and the suspect was also found dead, the sheriff said, according to KHQ.
The deputies
One of the deputies died at the hospital overnight, the sheriff's office said in a news release Wednesday. He is survived by his wife and children. The second deputy is on life support and is not expected to survive, and he is an organ donor, the release said, according to The Spokesman-Review. Neither deputy has been identified.
"They bravely moved toward danger to protect others they did not know," the sheriff's office said in its statement. "We cherish having served with them as we begin to process the devastating and unthinkable loss."
Washington Gov. Bob Ferguson said Wednesday his staff has been in communication with law enforcement and that it is "entirely possible" he will visit Spokane in the coming days, The Spokesman-Review reported.
Both deputies were taken to Providence Sacred Heart Medical Center, one by patrol car and the other by Life Flight helicopter. Portions of Interstate 90 and U.S. 195 were closed to speed the emergency transport, KIRO 7 reported.
On Tuesday evening, before the first deputy died, Nowels said, "Both of our deputies are fighting for their lives. Both have very young families," according to The Spokesman-Review.
The investigation
The Spokane Police Department has taken over the investigation into the deaths, and the Washington State Patrol is investigating the deputies' use of deadly force, Nowels said. The three deputies who fired their weapons were placed on administrative leave, KHQ reported. Authorities have not identified the suspect or the people who died, and it was not yet clear whether the suspect was killed by deputies' gunfire or by his own hand, KIRO 7 reported. The scene is secure and there is no ongoing threat to the public, according to KHQ.
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