Spokane7
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September 9, 2010 in City
Witnesses sought in Creach shooting
The Spokane Police Department announced Thursday that it is still seeking potential witnesses who may have seen or heard the encounter on Aug. 25 when Deputy Brian Hirzel shot and killed Pastor Wayne Scott Creach in Spokane Valley.
Police spokeswoman Officer Jennifer DeRuwe said anyone who saw or heard anything on that night at 14208 E. Fourth Ave. is asked to call Crime Check at 456-2233.
Chief Anne Kirkpatrick, whose agency has taken the lead in the investigation, said earlier this week that the investigation could be sent over to the Spokane County Prosecutor’s Office later next week.
Hirzel, who works for the sheriff’s office but is assigned to work for the Spokane Valley Police Department, remains on paid administrative leave until the criminal case is complete, Sheriff Ozzie Knezovich said.
Hirzel has told investigators that Creach refused to comply with his commands and he then hit the 74-year-old business owner with a police baton. Hirzel said Creach reached for a gun in his back waistband and Hirzel fired when he could see the butt of the gun, police said.
Closing Geiger: Wise or worrisome? 
CommonSenseJoe on September 09 at 4:05 p.m.
The police should just question everyone who’s posted on all the previous stories regarding this incident because they apparently know EVERYTHING that happened.
spokanada on September 09 at 4:26 p.m.
Are you Idiot? Did you get a new screen name?
force_vector on September 09 at 4:35 p.m.
The mafia looks for witnesses after murder too….
zelda on September 09 at 4:48 p.m.
This seems suspicious because of everything that’s preceded it. I have to think that looking for witnesses is SOP in the early phases of the investigation. Makes me think that they know people might have been nearby and someone saw something.
Fourth is a thru street, it’s not Timbuktu and 10 p.m. isn’t 0-Dark-Thirty. Surely there were motorists driving by when all this happened.
spokelooneh on September 09 at 4:56 p.m.
Cribbed from another newspaper’s comments section:
“to Whom It May Concern, I respectfully invite you to debate the issues on these forums, to debate them respectfully without just slinging insults, and to debate them with logic and intellectual honesty.
I pledge to you I will not engage in personal attacks and trading insults. I pledge to you I will not accuse you of attacking me when you question my logic, my assertions, or my conclusions. I pledge to you I will not make assertions that I cannot back up by providing sources.
Will you accept my invitation?”
notanidiot101 on September 09 at 5:19 p.m.
spokanada: lol no, I did not get a new screen name. Just looks like I am not the only one in this town that wasn’t there that night, so therefore I am not the only one that feels that people should keep their accusations to themselves, until they KNOW the facts.
A S S U M E
ya know what that means, right???
notanidiot101 on September 09 at 5:23 p.m.
Has anyone else noticed how many times that the Creach’s have changed their story?? First, she said he didn’t wake her up. Then she said, he did, and that she was listening from the window. But she said she couldn’t hear anything that was said by the deputy (who was facing her direction), but she heard everything that was heard from her husband (who was facing away from her) from more that 30 feet away……………Plus, its the son that keeps saying stuff FOR his mom. Can she not speak for herself, or is she opposed to lying?
lewis8457 on September 09 at 5:30 p.m.
idiot101 still trying to spin the tale this was Scotts fault? Oink, Oink, Oink.
notanidiot101 on September 09 at 5:32 p.m.
Im just sayin…….
notanidiot101 on September 09 at 5:34 p.m.
Oh, and if the “oink, oink” thing is supposed to mean that you think I am a cop,,,,,wrong again!!
Pat O'Leary on September 09 at 7:06 p.m.
Spokesman-Review, when are you shutting this down? It appears that you don’t want to hear too much in any one day. No wonder it’s taking forever for this story to be told. You should be ashamed of this coverage and your obvious attempts to manage who, when and why they are heard. A little research into this supposed “investigation” by Anne Kirkpatrick and the minions of the SPD is long past due. Why in the hell is this thing being dribbled out like an oldtime Saturday movie serial?
SugarShane on September 09 at 7:11 p.m.
Boy they sure waited long enough. Oh well, maybe Vegas will be shaking in his boots. Everyone already knows he will get his slap on the wrist, “Bad Cop, no Doughnut”. Good thing he’s still on vacation errr “paid administrative leave”.
cff on September 09 at 7:33 p.m.
The “Gypsy Curse Lives on in Good Old Spokane”. I know there are a lot of good dedicated law enforcement officers in Spokane & the county. However you really have some scum bags wearing uniforms, not sure if Hirzel was in uniform or not though. Sounds like a California Castoff, trigger happy, and we’ll never know if he was doing drugs or other activity while on supposed undercover duty. Did the good Pastor see something he shouldn’t have which led to his demise? We’ll never know because of Spokane’s protection policy for the Untouchables, a policy not available to the local citizenry, they have to undergo immediate interrogation, drug and alcohol testing.
DeCaYeD on September 09 at 7:53 p.m.
This city need an enima!
lewis8457 on September 09 at 8:42 p.m.
any witness that comes forward will be taken for a nice ride in the country and never seen again.
DeCaYeD on September 09 at 9:07 p.m.
PROPAGANDA
What lies behind us and lies before us are small matters compared to what lies right to our faces.
valleyman on September 09 at 9:35 p.m.
It’s sad so many choose to say so little…
SLEO on September 09 at 10:04 p.m.
To NOTANIDIOT101:
Maybe you’d better go back and do some thoughtful research - the Creaches haven’t changed their story once. It is the same today that it was that night. Maybe read all the stories and put the facts into some perspective. More questions have been raised and they are being addressed by the proper people.
This investigation is still underway - and the investigators are doing a good and thorough job. These forums are for people to air thoughts and opinions; name calling and demeaning victims families is totally counter productive and serves no useful purpose.
If you have something to say that is intelligent and well thought out, I would really like to hear it. Otherwise . . .
monkeyman on September 09 at 11:02 p.m.
It’s only been two weeks since the incident. Looks like the police are on top of things.
lewis8457 on September 09 at 11:25 p.m.
idiot101 sorry I thought you were a pig so sorry for making that assumption. I would rather be called almost anything then a pig.
It is hard keeping the story straight if you don’t read KXLY and KREM they are the ones with the new tidbits every day or so.
Since the SR reporter was rude to the Creach family the first day you will see no new tidbits here. Most tidbits come from Alan Creach after the cops have released more lies. Like the baton strike, after that was reported Alan told Krem the coroner showed him his dad had been on his knees in the gravel at some point.
spokelooneh on September 09 at 11:29 p.m.
“If you have something to say that is intelligent and well thought out, I would really like to hear it. Otherwise …”
-SLEO
Unfortunately, there’s more bravado and name-calling then actual intelligent and well-thought out postings.
Mostly black or white thinking, when, like much of life, it’s a gray area. I don’t diss on all cops, nor do I think the situation had to go down as it did, and the management’s response has been rather poor. there are huge holes in the official story, but we don’t know, and may never know, what exactly happened.
SLEO on September 10 at 6:28 a.m.
Lewis: You are right, there was a problem with a SR reporter on the first day. However, since that time, that reporter has apologised to the family and the SR has done a very good job of reporting this story. In fact, there are several things in the SR that have been glossed over by the TV media. Having said that, they are all doing a very good job, and with a few exceptions for the expected sensationalism, the reports have been quite accurate. The media keeps asking the questions and that is what needs to be done. We should all be asking the questions.
My question today is: Why does Steve Tucker feel that no matter the situation or the timing, that all citizens have a legal obligation to obey a police officer no matter what the officer orders them to do? Is this truly his feeling?
lewis8457 on September 10 at 7:12 a.m.
yes it is tuckers feeling because he was a state trooper at some point in his career. that is why he favors the cops and throws out any case that might take one of the to trial.
same with this case, it will be put in the same file as Otto and Shonto cases. the only difference in this case is the Creach family is not poor like Shonto and have more still living family members then Otto, so if the Creach family really wants justice in spokane we might get to see a heck of a storm.
The sad fact the cops can KILL AT WILL and the prosecutor will refuse to prosecute any cop should scare the hell out of the people in Spokane. I know it scares me.
stevej259 on September 12 at 12:59 a.m.
On the night Mr. Creach was killed, we were sitting in our living room watching the news, about 1/4 mile from the Plant Farm, with the windows open, and heard a noise that sounded like a firecracker. About 10 to 15 seconds later, we heard a noise that sounded like a much bigger firecracker. However, I knew that this was no firecracker, but a definant gun shot. We went out a few minutes later, and saw police cars flying down 4th. These may be the “shots” heard by Mrs. Creach.
remember_alamo on September 13 at 6:19 p.m.
Do not leave any witnesses.
God, Officer Hirzel, and Scott Creach apparently are the only witnesses. I am sure God is speaking to us and we are not listening. What Officer Hirzel is saying all I have is questions.
And Scott Creach is with God so that cannot be a bad thing I am somewhat envious.
So in reality we have three witnesses.