LIBERTY LAKE, Wash. — The Spokane Independent Investigative Response (SIIR) Team is investigating a shooting involving a deputy in Liberty Lake late Monday night.
The Spokane County Sheriff’s Office (SCSO) said the man shot had taken two people hostage inside the home. After going outside with a pistol, one officer fired and hit the man. He was taken to the hospital in critical condition.
Liberty Lake officers were first called to the home on North Malvern Road around 10:00 p.m. on March 7.
The caller said her ex-boyfriend, who she had not heard from in years, was at her house and banging on the doors and windows. The woman reported the man may have fired a shot and forced his way into the house. The woman was inside with her teenage son.
The Spokane County Sheriff’s Office SWAT Team and Hostage Negotiators were called to the scene. The sheriff’s office said they made multiple attempts to talk with the suspect.
The woman managed to escape out of a second-story window, but her son and ex-boyfriend remained inside.
The ex-boyfriend eventually left the house and faced SWAT Team members in the backyard. The sheriff’s office said the man had a pistol in his hand and refused to follow commands.
One deputy fired at the suspect, hitting him. The man was taken to the hospital in critical condition. The deputy was placed on administrative leave, which is standard protocol.
The sheriff’s office said the woman and her son “appeared to be traumatized but uninjured.”
The SIIR Team has taken over the investigation and will be looking at body cam footage, as well as interviewing officers and witnesses.
The sheriff’s office did not identify the suspect but said he was known to law enforcement.