Man shoots, kills suspected car thief in North Spokane

A homeowner shot and killed a suspected car thief this morning near East Mission Avenue and North Lee Street. The homeowner in the 1400 block of Lee called 911 just before 8 a.m. to report that his vehicle had been stolen, that the alleged thief was armed, and that the homeowner had fired at the thief, according to Spokane Police. The suspected thief, who hasn’t been identified, crashed the green Chevy Suburban about two blocks away. The suburban drove through a fence and crashed into a detached garage at another home at the intersection of East Sharp Avenue and North Lee, police Cmdr. Joe Walker said. Walker said investigators have not confirmed if the suspect was armed when he stole the vehicle. He said the suspect did appear to have suffered a gunshot wound and died at the scene. Police are interviewing the homeowner, according to a news release. The medical examiner was called to the scene and will release the man’s identity after his family is notified. Resident Richard McKinley said he didn’t hear the commotion this morning but looked out his bedroom window to see a Suburban sticking out of his garage. “I saw my fence down, the tree down and the car into the garage,” McKinley said from the front stoop of his home, which is about 50 feet from the detached garage. He said he tried to get into the garage from a side door but “the garage is so twisted up it wouldn’t open. McKinley said there were two vehicles in his garage that likely suffered extensive damage, but he was glad both he and his dog were all right.