SPOKANE, Wash. — Two Spokane police officers shot and injured a man who was reportedly threatening people with a knife downtown.
The man was identified as 35-year-old Oscar Venegas. Police said he was pronounced dead shortly after arriving at the hospital on Monday morning. The Spokane County Medical Examiner ruled Venegas' death a homicide.
According to Interim Spokane Police Chief Justin Lundgren, three officers tried tasing Venegas after he allegedly threatened at least two people with a knife. When tasing did not get him to stop, two officers shot him.
Preliminary information shows a Department of Corrections officer called police shortly after noon to report one of the people he supervised had called to report he was suicidal and armed with a knife. Lundgren said that man, later identified as Venegas, was walking on Riverside when he threatened people with the blade.
“He held the knife up to one individual's throat and he also displayed the knife and backed another individual down the block," Lundgren said during a briefing of the incident.
Lundgren described the situation as "fluid" and said he didn't know if a Behavioral Health Unit was in route or at the scene before the man was shot.
The SIIR team took over the investigation shortly after the shooting, with the Spokane County Sheriff's Office in charge of looking into the officer's actions.
Multiple police cars and crime scene tape blocked off the intersection of East Howard and West Riverside for around six hours Monday. Howard was closed from Main to Riverside, and Riverside was shut down between Stevens and Wall.
This is the second police shooting in less than 24 hours in the city of Spokane. The first happened in North Spokane, where police shot and killed a man who shot a woman inside a home on Wellesley Avenue.
Mayor Lisa Brown issued the following statement in the aftermath of the shooting:
“I am saddened by the recent occurrences of violence and officer-involved shootings in the City of Spokane. These situations are tragic for everyone involved.
Each of these instances leave a profound impact and highlight the many challenges our community is facing. A top priority for my Administration is connecting those who are at-risk or in crisis with the resources they need before the situation escalates and threatens their safety, as well as the safety of community members and our officers.
I have been in steady communication with Chief Lundgren over the past few weeks and am monitoring these situations closely.
Together, we are committed to transparency in the process of reviewing these shootings and working together to prevent these incidents from occurring in the future.”
More to Every Story
Since last December there have been five deadly shootings involving Spokane law enforcement.
In early December, a Spokane police officer shot and killed a man they believed was shoplifting at the Walmart on North Colton St. in North Spokane. When officers approached the man they say a struggle ensued before the officer shot the man.
Next on Jan. 30, on North Calispel St. near NorthTown Mall, Spokane County deputies killed a man who allegedly swung at them with an axe.
The next day on Jan. 31, nine Spokane policer officers shot and killed a man near West Cliff Dr. on the South hill.
According to police, they responded to a call of a suicidal man armed with a gun. Police say the man raised a gun and pointed it at the officers.
Finally, on the morning of Feb. 12 on East Wellesley Avenue near Rogers High School, three officers killed a man who, they say, was shooting at them after they responded to a call of a woman who said she was shot by the gunman.
According to the City of Spokane, in 2021 law enforcement shot and killed two people. In 2022, the number doubled, with five people shot. Two died and three survived. In 2023, two people were shot and killed. Two months into the new year, four people shot. Out of those four, three have died. KREM 2 is waiting on an update on the fourth person.
What happens to officers after they're involved in a shooting?
After a shooting, the case goes to an outside agency like the Spokane Independent Investigative Response Team (SIIR) to investigate.
Once they finish their investigation, they send it to the county prosecutor to see if any charges are warranted. Once the prosecutors finish, internal affairs begin an investigation. Their investigation goes to an administrative review panel.
This all has to happen before the officer can return to duty after a shooting.
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