Police seeking gunman, target

Spokane police continue to search both for the shooter and the intended target of a bullet that struck a bystander in the leg Wednesday night.

A 38-year-old accountant had just arrived at 17 S. Fiske St. about 6:45 p.m. Wednesday when a confrontation erupted at a house across the street, Sgt. Joe Peterson said.

The victim, whom police did not identify, “was just getting out of his vehicle, minding his own business,” Peterson said. “Across the street, this incident is developing and he doesn’t know what is going on.”

The incident started when two men pulled up in a car outside 16 S. Fiske. One of them walked to the front door of the house and knocked. Two men and two women were inside the house at the time, police spokesman Dick Cottam said in a press release.

One of the men inside the house talked to the visitor for a time and then the visitor walked back to the car.

“As the car drove past the house, someone from the house fired a handgun at the car,” Cottam said.

Instead of hitting the fleeing car, the bullet stuck the accountant in the thigh.

Jody White, 44, was working at Street Pro Automotive when he heard the shot.

“I ran out and saw the car take off. I tried to get his plate but it was dirty,” White said of the fleeing car.

The accountant was a friend of the owner of the neighboring car shop, said White, who spoke to the victim. “He said, ‘I’ve been shot,’.” White said. “It’s unfortunate. But it could have been a lot worse.”

Another witness saw a black male running from the house before officers could set up a perimeter, Cottam said. Officers obtained a search warrant and found a large quantity of drugs and the gun in the house, Cottam said.

Detectives interviewed the homeowner and two young women who were in the house but none has been charged at this time, Peterson said.

“We believe the intended target was leaving because he didn’t want to pay a debt,” Peterson said. “We’ve got a couple different people we believe could have been the shooter. We are just trying to figure out what happened.

Police Chief Roger Bragdon said in a press release that the injured man – who was treated and released Wednesday night – is an example “of how innocent people can become victims of drug activity even without realizing they are involved.”

Police continue to search for a black male who stands about 6 feet tall with an average build. He was wearing a light blue baseball cap and a light blue windbreaker, Cottam said.

Anyone with information is asked to call Crime Check at 456-2233.