SPOKANE, Wash. — A Liberty Lake police officer shot a man after he allegedly took his girlfriend and her young son hostage.
56-year-old Steven Haley of Spokane was shot by Sgt. Justin Palmer, a Spokane County Sheriff's Officer (SCSO) Sargent, on Monday night after an hours-long SWAT standoff. The standoff began after officers learned Haley was barricaded inside his house with a gun and possibly hostages.
According to a police statement, Liberty Lake Police Department officers were called to the domestic violence report at the N. Malvern Road address around 10 p.m., on Monday, March 7.
Officers along with SCSO deputies arrived at the scene and tried to communicate with the suspect who was inside the house, but the attempts were unsuccessful.
Spokane police and SWAT were called to the scene and spent hours negotiating with the suspect, who was later identified as Haley.
A woman identified as Haley's girlfriend and a man who were inside the house were able to escape through a second-story window. The woman's son remained inside the house with Haley and was found safe later.
The incident escalated after Haley came out of the house with a gun and refused to follow police orders. He was shot by a police officer and taken to the hospital in critical condition, but ultimately survived.
The Washington State Patrol is asking anyone with information about this case to contact Detective Ryan Spangler at (509) 227-6644 or by email to Ryan.Spangler@wsp.wa.gov.
