Woman shoots man at Newman Lake

A 48-year-old woman blasted a bullet into her 63-year-old estranged boyfriend’s stomach Saturday afternoon when he forced his way through the front door of her Newman Lake home, police said.

The man, whose name was not released, was taken by air ambulance to a downtown Spokane hospital where he underwent surgery. Police reported he was in critical condition.

Police detained the unidentified woman, but as of Saturday evening she had not been arrested.

About 1:20 p.m. Saturday, police dispatchers received two 911 calls reporting a shooting at 11022 N. West Newman Lake Road, said Spokane County Sheriff’s Office spokesman Dave Reagan. The woman who fired the gun called in the shooting, and so did her nearby neighbors after they heard her screaming.

The shooting occurred at a home owned by Charlotte D. Wilson, according to the Spokane County Assessor’s Office. It’s unknown if Wilson resides at the small, wooden-plank home.

Medics found the man on the home’s front deck, Reagan said. The man had been shot once in the belly with a 9 mm handgun while he was inside the house. He then stumbled out through the front door.

As detectives investigated the crime scene, jet skiers and boaters frolicked on Newman Lake just a few hundred yards behind the sparsely populated area along the lake. A 7-foot-tall wooden-carved eagle sat on the small front deck looking regal. A sagging, weathered piano sat on the side of the home among the weeds.

Reagan said the former couple had moved in together about two weeks ago after dating for nearly six months. The woman decided it wasn’t working out between them and broke off the relationship earlier this week, reportedly because the man had become violent.

The 63-year-old had been to the Newman Lake home since the breakup to retrieve gifts he had given his former girlfriend, including shoes and clothes, Reagan said.

The man returned Saturday to pick up a few more items. The woman told him she wanted him to leave, and he pushed through the door. That’s when she reached for the gun, police said.