Rights Group Gives Widow $2,721

Fri., Sept. 24, 1999

The widow of a Spokane man killed at an Interstate 90 rest area three months ago has been sent $2,721 in donations gathered by the Montana Human Rights Network.

Prosecutors contend the June 29 shooting of David Solomon, who was black, was racially motivated. Solomon was with his wife and 4-year-old son when the shooting occurred at a rest area between Helena and Missoula.

Douglas Allan Zander, 26, of Mandan, N.D., is awaiting a murder trial. Zander is white.

Solomon was shot in the chest and died at the scene. The family had been moving from Spokane to Arizona.

Police arrested Zander about an hour later in Helena, some 50 miles to the east.

If Zander is convicted and race is found to be a factor in the killing, the hate-crimes law could allow the addition of two to 10 years to his sentence. The minimum penalty for murder is 10 years in prison.

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