Police investigate drive-by shooting

Spokane Valley police were investigating a drive-by shooting Wednesday in which a home on East Main Avenue was shot at five times.

The man who was the intended target has been involved in three other drive-by shootings during the last six months at other addresses, Spokane Valley police spokesman Cpl. Dave Reagan said. The repeat victim is living with his mother at the location where neighbors heard the shots about 6:50 a.m. Wednesday.

The house in the 11200 block of East Main was hit with two of the bullets, but no people were struck, Reagan said. The victim refuses to cooperate with police.

The only information provided by witnesses was that a dark-colored van may have been involved, Reagan said. Police recovered five spent .32-caliber bullet casings from the street. Bullets struck a post in front of the home and the garage.

Anyone with information is asked to call (509) 242-8477.

Illinois fugitive arrested at Valley motel

Spokane Valley police arrested an Illinois fugitive early Wednesday at the Red Top Motel.

Kevin S. Garnsey, 27, was wanted by the Galesburg Police Department on three counts of burglary and by the Warren County Sheriff’s Office for predatory criminal sexual assault and on two counts of aggravated criminal sexual abuse.

Police went to the motel at 7217 E. Trent Ave. Wednesday after learning that an Illinois man was staying there who might be wanted, Spokane Valley police spokesman Cpl. Dave Reagan said. An officer confirmed the man’s fugitive status after running a check on a car’s Illinois license plates.

Garnsey opened the motel room door when the officer knocked, peeked through, then tried to slam it shut, Reagan said. After a short struggle, the officer was able to put the man in handcuffs.

Another man in the same motel room, Kevin Hopstad, 43, was arrested on two Washington state felony warrants for forgery, Reagan said. Both men were booked into Spokane County Jail.

Drunken driving suspect kills himself

Olympia

A man was pursued for investigation of drunken driving for nearly 10 miles on Interstate 5 early Wednesday, then shot himself to death when he was cornered, the bullet nearly hitting an officer, authorities said.

The freeway remained closed into the start of morning commuter traffic a couple of miles northeast of the state capital.

Washington State Patrol Trooper John J. Gundermann told KIRO Radio the chase began near Fort Lewis, south of Tacoma, when a southbound car was seen speeding and “basically using all lanes of the road.”

Pursued by three or four patrol cars, military police and Thurston County sheriff’s officers, the car hit a sheriff’s spike strip that flattened the tires. The vehicle went out of control about a mile down the road, hitting a concrete barrier on the freeway in Olympia, Gunderson said.

After stopping, the man moved around inside the car in apparent agitation, took pictures of the officers with his cellular telephone and then dialed 911 and asked that they be told to back off for a minute or two, Gunderson said.

Officers waited five to seven minutes, then moved toward the car again. As one officer moved to open the door, the man suddenly drew a gun and shot himself to death in the head, Gunderson said.

“This could have been worse than it was,” he said. “That bullet almost hit one of the officers.”