Gunman threatened to cause a ‘war zone’

A gunman shot and killed by police last week had told his brother-in-law the day before that he planned to turn the neighborhood into a “war zone,” according to court documents filed Friday.

Todd E. White, 46, had previously threatened to kill Gary Paul in a dispute over firearms inherited from White’s late father, according to the Spokane County Sheriff’s Office.

On March 26, he showed up at Paul’s home at 4127 E. 36th Ave., with a semi-automatic pistol equipped with a laser-sighting device and fired at least four shots at two officers when they arrived, the sheriff’s office said.

Officer Trevor Nollmeyer, who joined the forced in 2003, shot White twice about 6:29 a.m. He was declared dead at a hospital about 8 a.m.

White, who pleaded guilty in 2002 to assaulting two Clark County deputies, had been at the scene for about 20 minutes prior to the arrival of Nollmeyer and Mason, according to the Sheriff’s Office.

White’s felony convictions made him ineligible to possess a gun, and family told police he had “mental instability issues.”

Police searched White’s 1999 Mazda truck on Monday as part of an ongoing investigation.

Previous coverage:

Man killed in police shootout identified

Gunman assaulted cops in ‘01