SIRR: Man killed by law enforcement stole guns from home near shooting scene
SPOKANE, Wash. – The man shot and killed by local law enforcement had stolen two guns just moments before, according to the Spokane Independent Investigative Response team.
The man, who has not been identified, was shot by the Spokane County Sheriff’s Office. Two deputies, Kyle Leavenworth and Ashley Hood, were present at the time, but it is not clear who fired the fatal shot or if they both struck the man.
READ: Spokane Co. Sheriff’s Office identifies deputies on leave for fatal shooting
In its latest update, the SIRR team said the situation started near E Euclid and N Cuba when patrol deputies saw a suspicious truck. They checked the registration and learned the license plate had been reported stolen.
The SIRR team said the truck immediately drove off, but deputies did not pursue a chase.
Just minutes later, deputies found the truck near N. Havana and E. Valley Springs Rd. A woman was found inside and footprints in the snow showed there was another person present.
Deputies identified the man and found he had multiple active warrants out for his arrest, including unlawful possession of a firearm and burglary.
Deputies said they ultimately found the suspect near a home on E Bigelow Gulch Rd and that’s when shots were fired. The Spokane County Sheriff’s Office said there was an ‘exchange of gunfire,’ but it is not clear if the man or deputies fired first.
Leavenworth and Hood both fired their guns and have been placed on administrative leave, per protocol.
The SIRR team said an initial investigation shows the man burglarized the home where the shooting took place and stole two guns from the house. Those two guns were recovered at the scene.
The homeowners were not home at the time and no one else was injured.
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