SPOKANE, Wash. — The man accused of fatally shooting someone near Franklin Park last month was identified as the murder suspect by a woman he reportedly assaulted, according to newly filed court documents.
Jose Matthews, 42, was arrested on July 31 in connection with the shooting death of 26-year-old Darnell Pluff on July 14. The allegations against him came as he was already facing charges of second-degree assault.
Documents say the shooting occurred before 11:30 p.m. Surveillance video from a bank on Division Street shows two men walking in the area of where the crime took place. Later in the video, one those men approaches Pluff before stepping away. After Pluff falls over from the gunshot, the two men start running away.
Police say no shell casings were found at the scene and that the shooting appeared to be unprovoked. As the investigation continued, detectives were able to connect Matthews to the crime by showing the surveillance video to his ex-girlfriend, who had reported Matthews for assaulting her just days before the shooting took place.
After his ex-girlfriend identified him in the video, Matthews was eventually arrested and later appeared in Spokane County Superior Court for the unrelated assault charge.
On Wednesday, August 23, Matthews appeared in court for the deadly shooting. He is charged with second-degree murder and has been booked into the Spokane County Jail on $2,015,000 bond. His arraignment is scheduled for Sept. 6, 2023.
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