City to pay settlement to family of man shot and killed by officers in 2013

SPOKANE, Wash. — The City of Spokane will pay $103,500 to the family of a man shot and killed by Spokane police officers in front of a Salvation Army building in 2013. The Spokane City Council approved the settlement Monday night.

On August 22, 2013, an early morning road rage incident at the intersection of Division Street and North River Drive ended with 40-year-old Danny C. Jones being shot and killed by Spokane police officers in front of the Salvation Army building at 222 East Indiana Avenue.

The incident started at the intersection right next to the Red Lion River Inn where a white truck was stopped at the red light facing northbound on Division. A second truck came up behind the first and the driver locked up his brakes, skidding out. He then pulled out into the intersection, did a U-turn in the intersection, threw his truck into reverse and rammed the white truck.

The driver of the white truck called 9-1-1 at 6:08 a.m. to report the collision and then began following the red truck northbound on Division, passing a marked Spokane police cruiser.
The driver of the red truck turned eastbound on Indiana, where he reportedly rammed the Salvation Army building.

Spokane police responded to the Salvation Army building where they confronted the man. According to Police Chief Frank Straub, four officers attempted to box the red truck in a parking lot, where the driver then rammed two of the parked patrol cars. A witness to the incident said they believed the suspect was trying to ram the police officers with his vehicle. At 6:12 officers reported shots were fired.

Witnesses near the Salvation Army say they heard five or six gunshots.

The preliminary investigation revealed all four officers who responded to the incident fired their weapons at the truck. Straub added there was no indication the driver was armed.

Once the truck was stopped, the officers immediately began first aid on the driver and he was transported to the hospital where he was subsequently pronounced dead.

From the first 9-1-1 call from the driver of the white truck to the shots fired call by officers at 6:12 a.m., the whole incident went down in less than four minutes.

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