SPANGLE, Wash. — A Spokane County sheriff's deputy has died and a second deputy remains on life support and is not expected to survive after both were shot during a domestic violence response near Spangle on Tuesday, the Spokane County Sheriff's Office said Wednesday.
Deputies were sent to a home in the 18700 block of South Smythe Road, about 18 miles south of Spokane, at about 2:25 p.m. on Tuesday, November 3, after a woman ran to a neighbor's house and said her brother had shot her. The woman was treated in hospital for non-life-threatening wounds.
Using drones, deputies found a person down in the yard and moved that person to safety, but the person had died, Sheriff John Nowels said at a news conference. Deputies learned the suspect had an active felony warrant for eluding and access to several firearms, and that other potential victims might still be inside the home.
At about 3:15 p.m., SWAT team members and deputies approached the home and tried to breach the door. They were immediately met with gunfire, and two deputies suffered life-threatening wounds, Nowels said. Three deputies returned fire and dragged their wounded colleagues to safety.
One of the deputies died at the hospital overnight, the sheriff's office said Wednesday. He is survived by his wife and two children. The second deputy is on life support and is not expected to survive, and he is an organ donor, the sheriff's office said.
Investigators found another person dead inside the home, and the suspect was also found dead on the property. Authorities had not identified the suspect or the other people who died. The Spokane Police Department has taken over the investigation into the deaths, and the Washington State Patrol is investigating the deputies' use of deadly force.
