Fund for family of victim in last week’s fatal shooting near Orchard Prairie raises more than $29,000

A fundraiser set up by friends and family of a 29-year-old man killed last week near Orchard Prairie has topped $29,000 on its way toward a goal of $350,000.

The GoFundMe campaign posted Saturday says Benjamin Grosser, who deputies say was shot multiple times Thursday by his neighbor David M. Cholewinski after an ongoing dispute, died Friday at Providence Sacred Heart Medical Center. He left behind a wife and two young children, a 3-year-old daughter and 6-month-old son.

Spokane County sheriff’s deputies say Grosser was shot at the back porch of his home at 7611 E. Bigelow Gulch Road at about 6 p.m. when Cholewinski walked over from his residence and fired multiple times.

Cholewinski then walked back to his home, where he shot himself, the Spokane County Medical Examiner ruled Monday. He was pronounced dead at the scene.

Cpl. Mark Gregory, spokesman for the Spokane County Sheriff’s Office, said the two neighbors were involved in a lengthy quarrel that boiled over Thursday afternoon when workers employed by Grosser’s landscaping company, Jammin Enterprises LLC, were confronted by Cholewinski after a road rage incident.

Cholewinski, 61, reportedly pulled a gun, prompting the workers to call 911. A deputy arrived and cited Cholewinski for unlawful display of a firearm, a gross misdemeanor.

About two hours later, Cholewinski returned to Grosser’s home and shot the 29-year-old as he came home from work, the sheriff’s office said. Grosser was transported to Sacred Heart, where he died.

The GoFundMe campaign aims to pay off the home the couple purchased in August 2018 and cover medical expenses.

“At the time of the occurrence, there were no financial steps in place to cover something of this magnitude,” the campaign says.