Homicide victim shot multiple times in head

A man found dead in a West Central alley Friday morning was shot multiple times in the head, according to the Spokane County Medical Examiner’s Office. David B. Deponte, 28, was surrounded by a pool of blood when a neighbor found him while taking out garbage. Police believe the victim was a resident of the neighborhood and was walking through the alley on foot when he was killed. The body was kept in the alley where it was found for most of the morning while forensics crews and Major Crimes detectives canvassed the neighborhood for witnesses and suspects. With little information to go on, police are gathering tips to find out where Deponte was in the final 24 hours of his life and who he was with. Deponte had a history of theft and served jail time earlier this year. A car was towed away from the area after police determined there may be evidence on it from the crime scene because the driver told police they may have bumped the body unknowingly with their vehicle. Some neighbors didn’t hear anything suspicious Friday morning, but residential construction in the nearby Kendall Yards drowned out most noises. Joe Wetzel has only lived in the neighborhood for six months, but is already considering moving his wife and kids. “I looked out my window and there was a (television) cameraman right here and a cop over there,” Wetzel said. The unemployed wildland firefighter is originally from Missoula, Mont., and has never seen police activity like this until he moved to Spokane. “I’ve seen roads blocked off multiple times, but never been explained why and I’ve had cops sitting outside my house at 2 a.m. and helicopters flying over my house,” he added. The owner of nearby building walked through the crime scene that morning and appeared shocked at the sight of the body in the alley: “The neighborhood has gotten better, but it’s not there yet.”