North Side beating case is now a homicide

A man who was severely beaten last week near his north Spokane home has died. And now Spokane police are investigating his death as a homicide.

A Tuesday autopsy confirmed that 44-year-old Steven Allison died Sunday of head injuries he suffered during a severe beating early last week in the 1500 block of West Nora Ave.

Allison died at 3:45 p.m. Sunday when his family decided to take him off breathing machines, his sister Debbie Allison said.

“He had been hit in the back of the head and had a boot print or shoe print on his forehead like they stomped on him,” Debbie Allison said. “This guy was just trying to get home.”

Spokane police Lt. Scott Stephens, in the department’s first public acknowledgement of the week-old beating, said detectives have not yet determined who beat Allison or a motive for the attack, which fractured his skull and caused bleeding on his brain.

Stephens said a police officer responded just after midnight June 29 to Ash Street and Nora Avenue to reports of a man who appeared to have been assaulted and was knocking on doors.

The officer found Allison, who appeared to have suffered a serious beating. “The officer tried to interview him. His explanation was that he fell down,” Stephens said.

The officer could see a shoe print on Allison’s forehead and doubted the victim had hurt himself falling down, Stephens said.

“The officer wasn’t able to get any good information,” Stephens said. Allison “just wanted to go home. The officer had no idea that the injuries were as severe as they were. The guy was walking and talking. The officer took him to the hospital against his wishes.”

The officer, whom Stephens wouldn’t name, drove Allison to Sacred Heart Medical Center in his patrol car. Once at the hospital, Allison’s condition quickly deteriorated.

Allison was quickly placed in the hospital’s intensive care unit, Debbie Allison said.

Police knew Allison’s identity early June 29, but Debbie Allison said she and the family weren’t notified about his condition until 2 a.m. June 30, more than 24 hours after the attack.

“They put him on life support because he was brain-dead,” Debbie Allison said. “Most of us were in Coeur d’Alene going to the memorial of my brother-in-law who passed away from a stroke” on June 25.

The family traveled to see Steven Allison and speak with police officers. “We all have been at the hospital until we let him go to heaven on Sunday afternoon,” Debbie Allison said.

Steven Allison previously worked as a cook. But two years ago, he underwent two open-heart surgeries and hasn’t been able to work since, she said.

“He couldn’t beat up a fly if it landed on his nose,” she said. “He had such a bad heart, he could hardly walk. We know he couldn’t run.”

Patrol officers went back to the neighborhood around 1:30 a.m. June 30. They picked up Allison’s clothing and canvassed the neighborhood looking for witnesses and evidence. “As far as I know, the canvass didn’t reveal anything of importance,” Stephens said.

Major crimes detectives, who investigate serious assaults, homicides and rapes, didn’t know about the case until Allison’s family started calling later June 30, Stephens said. “They contacted one of our detectives and asked about what is going on. The detective didn’t know what he was talking about,” he said. “It was over 24 hours old by the time we found out about him.”

Stephens checked the officer’s report, which consisted of two paragraphs. The report identified the victim as Steven Allison, he said.

“It’s not unusual for a patrol officer to bump into somebody who has been assaulted and to drop them off at the hospital,” Stephens said. “About 90 percent of the time, they are treated and released that night.”

According to the report, Allison would not say who or why or even where he was assaulted. The case has been assigned to Detective Tim Madsen, who attended Allison’s autopsy at 10 a.m. Tuesday.

“He was talking. He was conscious,” Stephens said. “If he was unconscious and having difficulty breathing, we would let medical personnel” transport him. “As far as I know, he walked into the hospital.”

Despite the lack of clues, police officials chose not to publicize the week-old assault on Stevens.

“I think we are eventually going to need citizens to call in,” Lt. Stephens said. “But I was giving Tim (Madsen) time to try to round up either suspects or witnesses. Sometimes it’s easier to get people to talk if you are investigating an assault rather than a murder.”

Stephens also said the investigators were initially unsure of the severity of Stevens’ injuries. “We were still hoping our victim would regain consciousness and help us narrow the scope of our search.”