Two Sought In Shooting On West First Suspicious Calls To Hospital Prompt Move Of Female Victim After Surgery

A 50-year-old woman was in critical condition after being shot early Tuesday in downtown Spokane.

The victim was walking in the 1100 block of West First Avenue with a man and another woman about 12:30 a.m. Two other men approached, and one of them shot her in the chest, police said.

She was taken to a hospital, where she underwent surgery. Her identity was not released.

After the hospital received suspicious calls from people inquiring about her condition, she was moved to another hospital.

Police are not sure what provoked the shooting, but said several witnesses saw the two men run west on First. Detectives were trying to determine whether the victim or her companions knew the attackers, spokesman Dick Cottam said.

“There’s just not a whole lot to go on right now,” Cottam said.

Mike Giese was delivering newspapers to the Coach House restaurant when he heard a gunshot outside. He said he opened the glass door and saw a woman down on the sidewalk alone.

While police are aware of only two suspects, Giese said he saw four young men running away from her. They laughed and fired another shot into the air at the corner of First and Madison.

“Everybody sort of didn’t want to move or go out there when they did that,” he said. “I told the cook to call 911.”

Other downtown residents said they recognized the victim as a prostitute who frequently works on the block. They said she rarely gets into arguments with others and warmly greets elderly residents she meets on the street.

“She’s down here all the time, everybody’s seen her,” said one man, who didn’t want his name used. “She’s a nice lady.”

Police cannot confirm that the victim is a prostitute, Cottam said.

The woman’s attackers are described as black or Hispanic males in their 20s. One was about 5 feet 8 inches tall, 200 pounds, with collar length, curly black hair. He wore a black T-shirt and jeans.

The other man had short hair and was about 5 feet 11 inches tall. He wore a striped shirt and jeans.

Detectives spent Tuesday night interviewing witnesses and trying to track down the suspects. No arrests have been made.

, DataTimes