Four people, including a police officer and the suspected shooter, were killed during a shooting and confrontation with law enforcement in Spokane County, Washington, on Nov. 3. (Foto: Instagram)
Four people, including a police officer and the suspected shooter, were killed in a shooting and subsequent confrontation with law enforcement in eastern Washington on Tuesday, Nov. 3, according to Spokane County Sheriff John Nowels. Another officer was critically injured, and local authorities did not expect him to survive.
The incident began around 2:30 p.m. local time, when officers were called to a home in Spokane County, near the Idaho border. Nowels said a woman had told a neighbor that her brother had shot her. Authorities later determined that the suspect had an outstanding felony arrest warrant, the sheriff’s office said.
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 died is survived by his wife and two children.
The sheriff said two other people were found dead at the scene, one inside the home and the other in the yard. Their identities had not been released. The woman who reported being shot was taken to a hospital with injuries that were not considered life-threatening.
Authorities are investigating the circumstances of the confrontation and what led to the gunfire. In a statement, the sheriff’s office mourned the officer’s death and praised the officers who responded, saying they had put themselves in danger to protect people they did not know. The office said it would support the officers’ families and honor their wishes, and described the loss as devastating and unimaginable.
