Spokane County Medical Examiner identifies man killed by deputies in N. Spokane
SPOKANE, Wash.– The Spokane County Medical Examiner has identified the man killed by deputies during an investigation on Friday in North Spokane.
The medical examiner said Michael Lee Dingman, 43, died from multiple gunshot wounds. His manner of death was homicide, which means death at the hands of another person.
The Spokane County Sheriff’s Office said two deputies fired shots at Dingman during the investigation.
It started when deputies saw a suspicious truck with stolen license plates. However, the truck didn’t match the description of the car the plates belonged to.
SCSO said Dingman sped off on Wellesley, but because of “legislative reasons” deputies did not follow. Dingman 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 the driver was Dingman.
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 Dingman.
Once they found him, the sheriff’s office said shots were fired between Dingman and deputies. Deputies did provide him medical aid, but he died at the scene.
It is not clear who fired the shot that killed Dingman or if both deputies hit him.
The Spokane County Sheriff’s Office said there was an “exchange of gunfire,” but it is not clear if Dingman or the deputies fired first.
The SIRR team said an initial investigation shows Dingman burglarized the home where the shooting took place and stole two guns from the house. Those firearms were recovered at the scene.
The two deputies involved with the shooting have been identified as Deputy Kyle Leavenworth and Deputy Ashley Hood. They are both on paid administrative leave pending the results of the investigation.
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