Manslaughter Plea In Downtown Killing

A man originally facing a first-degree murder charge for a shooting death in downtown Spokane last year pleaded guilty Monday to first-degree manslaughter.

Lanolan Anderson, 22, will serve 7-1/2 years in prison for firing four shots and killing David E. Witt last April 28.

Police say Witt, 27, of Spokane was killed after the two men got into an early morning argument outside a convenience store near Second and Lincoln.

Anderson, who had moved to Spokane from Indiana a few months before the shooting, said he acted in self-defense. He told police he originally tried to stop a fight involving two other men.

He said Witt and another man then began approaching him, so he reached for his gun. He said he fired a warning shot that didn’t stop the two men.

Witt was a drywall installer and avid mountain climber, his friends said.

“We felt all along that this should never have been a first-degree murder charge,” said defense attorney Dick Sanger.

Sanger said the testimony about what happened during the shooting varied widely among the witnesses.

Anderson had no criminal record but could have faced a 25-year prison term if convicted of murder.

, DataTimes