Four people, including a law enforcement officer and the suspected gunman, were killed during a shooting and confrontation with officers in Spokane County, Washington, on Tuesday, Nov. 3. Another officer was gravely wounded. (Foto: Instagram)
Four people, including a police officer and the suspected shooter, were killed Tuesday, Nov. 3, in a shooting and confrontation with law enforcement in eastern Washington state. Another officer was gravely wounded, and local authorities said they did not expect him to survive. Spokane County Sheriff John Nowels said deputies were called to a home in the county, near the Idaho border, at about 2:30 p.m. local time.
The call followed a report that a woman had told a neighbor her brother had shot her, Nowels said. Authorities later determined the suspect had an outstanding warrant for a felony, according to the sheriff’s office.
Members of a SWAT team and other officers approached the home and tried to force open the door. They were met with gunfire, Nowels said. The officer who was killed is survived by his wife and two children.
The sheriff said two additional people were found dead at the scene: one inside the home and another in the yard. Authorities have not released the victims’ identities. The woman who reported being shot by her brother was taken to a hospital with injuries that were not considered life-threatening.
Authorities are investigating the circumstances of the confrontation and what prompted the gunfire. In a statement, the sheriff’s office mourned the officer’s death and praised the law enforcement personnel who responded. The office said officers knowingly faced risks to protect people they did not know, and described their actions as courageous and rooted in a commitment to their duty to serve and protect Spokane County residents. It also called the loss devastating and unimaginable.
