Court docs: Police work to link recovered gun to shooting of two EWU football players

September 9, 2019 1:20 AM

Erin Robinson and Nia Wong

Posted: September 9, 2019 1:20 AM

Updated: May 20, 2021 11:08 AM

by Erin Robinson and Nia Wong

SPOKANE, Wash. — Detectives are working to determine whether a gun used to shoot two Eastern Washington football players in July was the same firearm recovered by Spokane Police in a separate incident just a week later.

According to a search warrant filed Wednesday, police arrested a man on July 20, a week after the shooting, after a fight in downtown Spokane. The man, whom 4 News Now is not identifying due to the active investigation, had a Hi Point 9mm pistol inside his right pants pocket and was charged with first degree unlawful possession of a firearm.

The search warrant states this is the same caliber of weapon used a week prior when the two football players were shot. Two men, Avery K. Francis and Anthony J. Carell, are believed to be responsible for the shooting outside of the Globe Bar and Kitchen on July 13.

Francis and Carell recently pleaded not guilty to attempted first degree murder charges and are being held while they await their next court date in late October.

According to the search warrant, the unidentified man was seen in video taken near the Globe on the night of the shooting. Police indicated the man was wearing the same shorts in the Globe surveillance video as he was a week later when he was arrested with the firearm.

Police said they also revisited a video interview with Carell, where he speaks about a third unidentified individual. Detectives said Carell can be heard speaking to the unidentified individual in his jail phone calls, telling the man police were looking for him and to find video released to the media.

Detectives believe that DNA from Carell and Francis will be located on the firearm and/or the magazine ammunition seized from the unidentified man.