SPOKANE, Wash. — Spokane police are investigating after a fatal shooting in the West Central neighborhood on Wednesday morning.
Spokane police responded to the shooting and a man down at Cedar Street and Boone Avenue around 2:30 a.m. on Wednesday, Oct. 20. Despite officer's attempts to provide medical treatment to the wounded man, he was later pronounced dead at the scene.
No suspect has been identified at this time. An investigation is now underway. Several shell casings were located at the crime scene, but no weapon was recovered.
This is the latest fatal shooting in Spokane since last weekend, as a homicide was reported in downtown Spokane early last Saturday morning on Oct. 16.
According to a press release from the Spokane Police Department (SPD), this recent shooting marks the 10th homicide in Spokane this year. SPD detectives were able to identify and arrest suspects in 8 of 9 cases, not including this new incident.
There were 21 homicides in Spokane in 2020. According to the SPD, 2020 and 2021’s numbers don’t seem to follow a certain theme but they can be connected to a variety of reasons. These include drugs, domestic violence, gang affiliations and more.
SPD officials also reported that there is a continued increase in the number of firearm homicides and non-fatal shootings across the country. According to the Washington Association of Sheriff and Police Chiefs (WASPC), This follows the largest one-year increase – nearly 30% - on record for homicides in the United States in 2020.
Washington state experienced a record number of 302 homicides in 2020, which is 45% higher from the statistic in 2019.