Man Shot At Popular Swim Area Witnesses Name Suspect, Who Fled After 3:30 A.M. Incident

A teenager ended an argument with another man by shooting him point-blank on the banks of the Spokane River before dawn Wednesday, sheriff’s deputies said.

Clifford George, 20, of Toppenish, Wash., was shot twice. One of the bullets entered his side and exited his back. The other grazed his head, deputies said.

He was later listed in stable condition at a Spokane hospital.

Witnesses told police the suspected gunman, 19-yearold Russell Ellenwood, fled after the shooting.

The suspect, whose address is unknown, was still at large late Wednesday.

The 3:30 a.m. shooting occurred at Boulder Beach, a popular swimming hole and after-hours hangout near Upriver Dam.

George, Ellenwood and several other people apparently went to the beach to have a party, deputies said.

Ellenwood and a woman walked down to the river while the rest of the group stayed in the parking lot, deputies said.

Several partygoers said Ellenwood and the woman began arguing, and two shots rang out. When George went to investigate, four more shots were fired, the witnesses told detectives.

Several people loaded the wounded man into a car and drove him to the hospital, deputies said.

The woman was not injured.

Investigators closed the beach most of the day to gather evidence. Divers also searched the river, hunting for the revolver deputies think was used in the shooting.

Ellenwood is also a suspect in a shooting last June 15.

Police said he shot a Spokane man in the face with a flare gun, according to court records.

Ellenwood was jailed but released three days later because county prosecutors didn’t file the criminal charge. He still may be prosecuted for the shooting, authorities said.

Anyone with information on Ellenwood’s whereabouts is asked to call Crime Check, 456-2233.

, DataTimes ILLUSTRATION: Color Photo; Graphic: Boulder Beach shooting