November 4, 2009 in City

Police say man had pellet gun

Valley officers shot apparently suicidal resident
By The Spokesman-Review
 

A reportedly suicidal man shot by Spokane Valley police Friday was armed with a pellet gun that resembles a Colt .45 semi-automatic pistol, according to a search warrant filed Tuesday.

David J. Glidden, 27, was shot twice in the upper body after emerging from a Spokane Valley home armed with an Airsoft pellet pistol, the warrant said.

Officer Aaron Childress fired a handgun and Officer Griffin Criswell fired a 12-gauge shotgun at Glidden. Some of those rounds went through the wall of a neighbor’s home.

Glidden, who was in stable but serious condition at a local hospital Tuesday, was shot by police just after exiting a home at 4727 E. Third Ave., where he’d been living for a few days after breaking up with his girlfriend, a friend told detectives.

Before the shooting, Glidden was home alone and called a friend he met through Alcoholics Anonymous and threatened to commit suicide, according to the warrant, filed in Spokane County District Court.

“Glidden said he was ‘going to kill somebody or kill himself,’ ” according to the warrant. The friend called 911.

Glidden first called his friend at about 7 a.m. and told him he’d been drinking. About four hours later, Glidden called his friend again.

“He told (his friend) he had the gun in his hand and was cocking it,” according to the warrant.

“(His friend) could hear the sound of what he thought was a gun being cocked.”

Childress was near the southwest corner of the residence, and Criswell near the southeast corner when they fired shots at Glidden, according to documents.

Investigators found three spent .45-caliber shell casings and one spent shotgun shell casing.

A neighbor said last week that he heard five shots and that rounds blew through a side wall of his home.

After the shooting, police seized seven empty Budweiser cans, among other items, inside Glidden’s home, the warrant said.

Childress and Criswell have more than 10 years of law enforcement experience each, police said.

The Spokane Police Department is investigating the shooting.

Three comments on this story so far. Add yours!
  • MARSTEVE on November 04 at 9:17 a.m.

    Why do they have to shoot him with a 12 gauge shotgun !!!!! Shoot him in the leg or arm–—

  • becca2cool on November 08 at 9:01 p.m.

    I can’t believe two highly trained police officers would shoot this poor suicidal guy in the torso!!! I’ts just plain “WRONG”!!! Why didn’t they aim at his leg or an arm to slow the guy down?
    He was holding a pellot gun for christ sakes! Why doesn’t Law Inforcement use tranquilizer guns? In cases like this one, it would have been better for everyone involved. I hope and pray the young mans wounds aren’t fatal. He needed someone to talk to! not a few bullets in his torso!!! My heart truely aches for him…

  • cindy on November 09 at 7:51 p.m.

    I agree with Becca, the 2 officers knew David was suicidal, even though they didnot know for sure what kind of gun he had on hand, they didnot know if the gun was even loaded, they made very poor judgement when they shot him in the spine, liver ect.. there are other ways to put someone down, they could have shot him in the foot, gased him, gone in the back door & tackled him to the ground, instead they shoot him like a dog, now if David even lives through this, his life will never be the same, hes now paralized from the chest down & will have to wear a bag, the rest of his life, he is only 27 years young and his life changed forever at the hands of these 2 officers, shame on you both for not careing enough for someone that was obviously in need of help, you not only let David down, but Davids family & Davids friends…….you need to pay for what youve done, & I pray to God this does not happen again to someone else!!!!!!!!!! David you are allways in our prayers!!!!!!!!!!

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