One dead, two wounded in two New Year’s Eve shootings in North Spokane

Spokane Police were kept busy on New Year’s Eve and into this morning with two North Spokane shootings, one of them fatal. In the first incident, at 10 p.m., police were called out on a report that people had been shot at the Neighborhood Grocery store at 3400 E. Euclid Ave. Police responded quickly and found one man dead and another with apparent gunshot wounds. Police were told a suspect in the shootings had fled the store, according to a news release. They discovered a crashed car at Thor and Carlisle. A Spokane County Sheriff’s Department helicopter located the suspect in the shooting hiding under the Greene Street Bridge along the Spokane River, and he was taken into custody by police, the release said. He was identified as Shannon Lee Johnson, 33, who is facing charges of second-degree murder and first-degree assault. The second victim was in critical condition at a local hospital, police said early this morning. None of the identities of the people involved in the incident have been released. Avtar Singh, a clerk at the store, said he was working behind the counter when a man came in and told the two victims to follow him outside. Immediately after leaving the store, the gunman opened fire with 19 shots, he said. The clerk also said he had not seen the men before Monday’s shooting. Sgt. Jason Hartman said that extra officers and sheriff’s deputies were on duty Monday night because it was New Year’s Eve, including SWAT officers, gang team members and the sheriff’s helicopter. They got to the area quickly and prevented the gunman from fleeing. In the second incident, which took place at about 3:15 a.m., police were called to 4207 N. Jefferson St. after witnesses reported hearing shots fired. Police found an 18-year-old woman with at least two gunshot wounds to her torso. The shots came from outside the house, and it’s unclear whether it was a drive-by shooting or if the suspect was on foot, police said in a news release. Witnesses reported hearing seven to 12 shots fired. The victim was in critical but stable condition earlier this morning. Her identity has not been released.