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The Spokesman-Review Newspaper
Spokane, Washington  Est. May 19, 1883

Valley man shot, killed in police confrontation

A Spokane Valley man is dead after a confrontation with police Sunday night. Authorities confirmed that the man, said to be in his 50s, was shot by a Spokane County sheriff’s deputy after a report of a domestic dispute at a home near the intersection of Progress Road and Valley Way. The deputy was assigned to Spokane Valley, which contracts with the Sheriff’s Office for police services. It wasn’t immediately clear what prompted the shooting, which was reported about 7:30 p.m. Police said it’s believed the man was armed with “something sharp,” possibly a knife, when confronted by the officer, whose identity also was being withheld Sunday. The intersection where the fatal confrontation occurred was closed Sunday night as de? tectives from the Spokane Police Department were brought in to conduct the investigation under a critical-incident protocol designed to avoid having law enforcement agencies investigating themselves. Several streets were blocked off for a couple of blocks in each direction leading to the intersection as well. The man had been involved in some kind of fight with his roommates at 507 N. Sommer Road, said Officer Jennifer DeRuwe, a spokeswoman for the Spokane Police Department. The home was described as a halfway house shared by several men. The responding officer spotted the man outside the home walking away and is believed to have come within 20 feet of him before the encounter reportedly turned violent, police said. Detectives expected to be at the scene well into this morning collecting evidence as part of the investigation. It is the second fatal shooting involving Spokane Valley police, and the fourth police-related shooting in the Spokane area overall, since Aug. 25.