SPOKANE, Wash. — One woman was shot overnight and was sent to the hospital with serious injuries.
This is one of five reported shootings last night. The first call came in around 10:30 p.m. in the Hillyard area.
We know Spokane police responded to five reported shootings, but only four of those shootings were confirmed.
Police have not confirmed which home on Dalton Avenue the woman was shot at. But, they say it appears a shooter or shooters walked up to the home and fired about 20 rounds inside*.
Small children were also inside the home, but the woman was the only one injured.
Mike Fagan told me he heard the gunshots that hit his truck.
After learning it was one of five others shootings last night, he says he's worried for Spokane.
"I'm sure that the vast majority of the folks that live in Spokane right now will agree with my sentiment," Fagan said. "This is not the Spokane that I grew up with. I've lived in this particular house and in on this block for going on 30 years now. This place has been so peaceful, minimal crime, if anything."
Spokane Mayor Nadine Woodward and Police Chief Craig Meidl recently formed a violent crimes task force. With two sergeants and five other officers, the task force is expected to address the increasing trend of drive by shootings in the city.
"They're gonna have this free time to go out and be able to do specific interdiction by by looking for the offenders who are most prolific," SPD Assistant Chief Justin Lundgren said.
Assistant Chief Lundgren told me the task force will be proactive and reactive in its efforts, which is how he says the group is responding the shootings last night.
"When these shootings happen, particularly the ones that are involving gang members, there is a tendency for incidents in the future in retaliation for those," Lundgren said, "So, there'll be an important opportunity for us to be able to trainee interject ourselves before the next the next shooting in relation to the first."
So far in 2022, through the end of April, there have been 53 shootings in Spokane, 26 of those are classified as drive-bys.
Comparing that to the first 3 months of 2021 there were 45 shootings through the end of April with 12 classified as drive-bys.
TOTAL YEAR NUMBERS:
- 2018 - 36 shootings 24 drive-bys
- 2019 - 52 shootings 28 drive-bys
- 2020 - 94 shootings 42 drive-bys
- 2021 -151 shootings 41 drive-bys