Neighbor shoots prowling suspect

A 38-year-old car-prowling suspect suffered two gunshot wounds and was fighting for his life Thursday after he swung an aluminum bat at a gun-wielding neighbor in Spokane, police said.

The confrontation occurred just before 5:20 a.m. in the alley behind 3318 W. Walton Ave., Spokane Police Sgt. Gary Warren said. The neighbor told police that he heard suspicious noises, grabbed his .22-caliber pistol and went outside to investigate.

The neighbor, whom police did not name, found the car prowler straddling his mountain bike as he leaned into a black Chevy pickup. The prowler, identified by police as 38-year-old William D. Keele, had used the bat to smash the passenger-side wing window to get inside the truck, Warren said.

“He was inside the truck,” Warren said of Keele. “He comes out with a bat … takes a swing and misses. The homeowner has a gun. He doesn’t miss.”

Warren said Keele has three active warrants for his arrest.

The neighbor, who was in his 50s, fired three shots. One hit Keele in the chest, one hit his foot and one shot apparently missed, Warren said. The neighbor had not been charged in connection with the shooting.

“The state doesn’t condone you shooting people for stealing property,” Cpl. Jim Muzatko said. “But if someone threatens you, you don’t have to wait to become a victim. You don’t have to wait until someone hits you with a bat. You do what you do to protect yourself.”

After being hit twice, Keele pedaled his mountain bike down the alley, crossed a lawn and ditched the bike, police said. He ended up at the stoop of 3408 W. Walton.

“He was laying on the porch, screaming, ‘Help me, help me, help me,’ ” said a witness who was awakened by Keele pounding on his door. “He wanted a glass of water and a sock for his right foot.”

The witness provided the sock and the water, shut the door and called police. Keele then banged on the door of another house, but that neighbor refused to answer, police spokesman Dick Cottam said.

Officers responded to the call, which initially came out as a welfare check, Warren said. But they quickly realized it was a shooting after finding Keele.

He was transported to an area hospital, where he underwent surgery from 9:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. He was listed in critical condition but it appears he will survive, Sgt. Joe Peterson said.

Major crimes detectives interviewed the shooter and will hand over the investigation to prosecutors to determine whether he will face charges for shooting Keele, Peterson said.

The shooter answered his door Thursday when a reporter knocked but shut it before answering any questions.

Lisa Spence, 36, said the pickup that Keele allegedly prowled is owned by her father, who is a contractor. The same truck had been burglarized about six weeks ago while it was parked in front of the house on Walton Avenue.

They started parking the truck behind the house, thinking that motion-sensor lights and their Great Dane would keep prowlers away, she said.

Spence’s neighbor to the east, two houses down from the shooting, had cars burglarized two consecutive nights this week, police said.

“I’ve lived here four years, and I’ve had cars broken into six or seven times,” she said. “It’s a great neighborhood. It’s quiet, the people are great, but it just seems to be a target.” The woman didn’t want her name used.

Spence defended her neighbor’s actions Thursday. “If I was awake, absolutely I would have done it too,” she said. “If we had more guys like (the neighbor) we wouldn’t have as much crime.”