Spokane Police shoot, kill armed robbery suspect

A Spokane police officer shot and killed an armed robbery suspect early Tuesday morning.

Around 5:45 a.m., police responded to an armed robbery at the Safeway store at 1616 West Northwest Boulevard. According to police scanner, the suspect grabbed a store employee by the neck and held the employee at gunpoint before fleeing.

When witnesses tried to follow the suspect, police said, he reportedly fired a single round in the parking lot before driving off in a white sedan.

About 30 minutes later, according to the scanner, officers found the suspect near the intersection of Sharp and Madison. When the suspect tried to leave in the car, police said, the officers blocked him in before the suspect fled on foot.

At some point during the on-foot pursuit, police said, an officer shot and killed the suspect.

The suspect - described on the police scanner as a 5 foot 6 inch American Indian - was not identified. The Spokane Medical Examiner will release the man’s name at a later time.

Spokane Police Chief Craig Meidl said the officer who shot the suspect was wearing a body camera and that footage will be released at a later date.

Meidl said one officer fired a weapon, and all officers on the scene are being interviewed. Body camera footage from the officers will be released at a later date.

The Spokane County Sheriff’s office will lead the investigation.

The Tuesday shooting is the third officer-involved shooting death in three months. On Oct. 4, officers shot and killed an armed man in the parking lot of the Shadle-area Walmart. On Nov. 28, officers shot and killed a man in Hillyard who fired on them while they sat in their patrol car.

Staff writer Ryan Collingwood contributed to this story