Police Seek Drivers Who May Have Seen Lincoln Park Fight Two Motorists Could Be Witnesses In Struggle That Led To Shootings

Two motorists may have seen the struggle that led to the fatal shooting of Patty DiBartolo.

Spokane police said Friday they are looking for the drivers of two cars that possibly pulled into the Lincoln Park parking lot just before DiBartolo was shot there last Saturday night.

The victim’s husband, sheriff’s Deputy Tom DiBartolo, told detectives he remembered seeing headlights as he struggled with the man who moments later fired a single shot into his wife’s head.

Tom DiBartolo received a flesh wound to the abdomen during what he described as an attempted robbery by two men.

DiBartolo, 41, said he and his wife of 19 years were attacked about 9:30 p.m. as they returned to their car after a stroll through the South Hill park to view the city lights.

The shootings occurred at the far end of the asphalt parking strip where their car was parked, DiBartolo said, about 145 feet from the park entrance on Southeast Boulevard.

The deputy said one or two cars turned into the parking area off Southeast Boulevard during his brief struggle with the gunman, then left.

“He said they pulled in much like they were making a U-turn,” said Lt. Jerry Oien of the city’s major crimes unit.

Detectives want to know if the drivers of those cars saw anything, police spokesman Dick Cottam said.

“The detectives are just looking at all the possibilities,” Cottam said. “Maybe somebody saw something but they don’t know what they saw.”

It’s possible that the drivers didn’t see the DiBartolos or the two wouldbe robbers, Oien said. “Depending on how far these cars pulled in there, their headlights might have hit the incline and not have reached them,” he said.

The parking strip slants uphill from Southeast Boulevard.

Oien said police didn’t disclose the information about the possible witnesses until six days after the attack because they were busy with other aspects of the case.

Detectives have been analyzing the DiBartolos’ van and clothing and searching the park for clues, he said.

“We’ve been tied up doing the technical stuff,” Oien said. “We sat down today to make a to-do list, and this is one of the first things that came up.”

So far, Deputy DiBartolo is the only known witness to the crime, and detectives are still investigating a myriad of possibilities.

The search for evidence continued Friday.

As mourners prepared for Patty DiBartolo’s funeral Mass at St. Thomas More Catholic Church, divers again searched the bottom of the Lincoln Park pond, looking for the suspected murder weapon - a snub-nose .38-caliber revolver. Volunteers also combed the park grounds seeking clues.

They didn’t find anything substantial, Oien said, adding, “we’re still looking.”

Police have released a partial description of the gunman. DiBartolo said he was about 5 feet 8 inches tall, 140 pounds, in his late teens or early 20s. He was wearing a three-quarters length black jacket with the word “Sox” emblazoned on it in white.

Police have refused to disclose the man’s race. The other assailant has been described only as taller and heavier than the first.

The Secret Witness program is offering a $2,000 reward for information that solves the killing. Anyone with information should call 327-5111. Callers don’t have to give their names to be eligible for the reward.

, DataTimes