Man shot and killed by law enforcement in N. Spokane

SPOKANE CO., Wash. — A man was shot and killed by law enforcement on Friday morning.

According to the Spokane County Sheriff’s Office, the situation started when deputies saw a suspicious truck with stolen license plates. However, the truck didn’t match the description of the car the plates belong to.

SCSO said the driver sped off on Wellesley, but because of “legislative reasons” deputies did not follow. The driver later crashed on East Bigelow Gulch Road.

A woman who was also in the car at the time was detained and questioned by investigators. During the interview, she told them who the driver was.

They said that’s when they learned the man they were looking for was a convicted felon who was wanted for unlawful possession of a firearm.

Investigators said they found a realistic-looking BB gun pistol in a backpack where the crash happened.

The sheriff’s office said they then used footprints in the snow to search for the driver.

Once they found him, the sheriff’s office said shots were fired between the man and deputies. Deputies did provide him medical aid, but he died at the scene.

The Spokane Investigative Regional Response Team is now investigating the shooting.

The two deputies who fired their guns were placed on administrative leave as part of standard protocol.

Editor’s note: 4 News Now initially reported the undersheriff said the driver shot first. This story has been corrected to reflect that the Spokane County Sheriff’s Office says it is not clear who fired their gun first. The sheriff’s office could only confirm that there was an “exchange of gunfire.”

COPYRIGHT 2022 BY KXLY. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED. THIS MATERIAL MAY NOT BE PUBLISHED, BROADCAST, REWRITTEN OR REDISTRIBUTED.