Taxi Driver Killed By Single Gunshot

A Spokane cabdriver who was robbed and killed last week has been identified as 47-year-old Duane A. Hutsell.

He died of a single gunshot wound, according to an autopsy conducted Monday.

Hutsell was shot and left to die in his cab Thursday night soon after picking up several customers at a North Side restaurant, police said.

Police found the driver slumped inside his Lilac City cab near the intersection of Standard and Hill ‘N Dale.

Lt. Jerry Oien says he is encouraged that people have contacted police with possible information about the shooting.

“A lot of people who live in the apartment nearby are coming forward, saying they may have seen something or heard the gunshots,” Oien said. “We’ve got a lot of people to talk to.”

Witnesses reported seeing several white men running from the cab after the shooting.

In some cities, taxi companies are required to equip cabs with Plexiglas partitions, separating drivers from passengers.

But one Spokane cabdriver says he doesn’t believe that safety measure would have saved Hutsell.

“I suppose partitions are an option, but to tell you the truth, I’d prefer to put passengers up front next to me instead of behind me so I can see them,” said Gene Parslow, a driver and dispatcher for River City Taxi/All-Star Cab.

The partitions cost between $1,500 to $2,000 to install.

Police are asking people with information about the robbery-slaying to call Crime Check at 456-2233. Secret Witness is offering a $2,000 cash reward for information that helps solve the case.

, DataTimes