In brief: Police seek tips on man beaten at park

A developmentally disabled man was assaulted by three people as he watched children play in Cannon Park on Monday.

Police are asking anyone near the park at Maxwell Avenue and Oak Street at the time of the 12:20 p.m. assault who observed anything to call Crime Check at (509) 456-2233, according to a news release.

The victim, who is in his 30s, is in the intensive care unit at a local hospital.

After the assault, he was able to find family members, who contacted medics, police said.

No other details were immediately available.

Meghann M. Cuniff

Online audience of 1,000 followed GU event

More than 1,000 online viewers in 20 countries watched a live-stream broadcast of Gonzaga University’s graduation ceremony on Sunday, which featured a commencement address by Nobel laureate Desmond Tutu.

Tutu, a central figure in South Africa’s fight against apartheid, was a big draw, along with friends and relatives of GU graduates, said Shawn West, owner of Streamvuze, which contracted with the university to do the streaming.

West received a call from a 96-year-old woman who lives on Samish Island in Puget Sound, who was watching her grandson graduate. Twisted Pair of Spokane provided production support.

Online viewers tuned in from 41 states for the five-hour broadcast. Among other countries, Saudi Arabia and Brazil had the most viewers, West said.

Becky Kramer

Body found in woods scheduled for autopsy

Spokane police continue to investigate the discovery of a body Sunday, but the location has caused problems with investigators trying to map the scene.

The body was found Sunday afternoon in a wooded area near the intersection of 14th Avenue and Milton Street, Spokane Police spokeswoman Officer Jennifer DeRuwe said in a news release.

Major Crimes detectives spent a good portion of Sunday and all of Monday recovering evidence and processing the scene.

“Once the evidence was collected, the body was removed by the Medical Examiner’s Office, and an autopsy is scheduled for tomorrow,” she wrote in Monday’s report. “The identity of the body will be released once confirmation has been made and next of kin has been notified.”

DeRuwe noted that officers appreciate the patience of neighbors in the area, as the investigators have been on scene standing guard since Sunday afternoon. DeRuwe did not say whether the body was that of a man or a woman, how long it appeared to be in that location, whether foul play was suspected or the person’s approximate age.

Staff report