Victim stable after shooting; suspect arrested

Police have arrested a man who, court documents allege, stalked his ex-wife and shot her fiance in their Spokane living room Friday night.

Steven P. Burr, 56, was booked into the Spokane County Jail on Friday on a charge of first-degree attempted murder.

Terry Herzog was shot in the chest but is in stable condition and is expected to recover, police said in a statement.

About 7:45 p.m. Friday, Burr walked up to a screen door at his former home near Finch Arboretum, his ex-wife Sandy Burr told police in an affidavit.

“Pay back’s a bitch,” she heard a male voice say, and several shots tore through the screen and the open door behind it into the living room, according to the affidavit.

Police determined that at least five shots were fired, according to the affidavit.

A neighbor who said he heard the shooting told police that a man of medium height and build ran away from the house before he went in to aid Herzog, and that there was also a car driving from the scene.

Later that night, police arrested Burr without incident at his home on the 1200 block of East Wabash.

The affidavit says a search of the East Wabash home turned up two letters in which Burr implied he would not be coming back and asked that someone take care of his things and find a good home for his cat.

One letter described a belittling confrontation with Herzog.

“I’m taking it to him, where he feels safe. I want to look into his eyes, face to face,” the letter read, according to the affidavit.

Sandra Burr said her ex-husband has “been stalking her and has sent her threatening mail,” according to the court document.

Police said in the affidavit that she showed them a greeting card mailed to her containing threats.

An investigation into the shooting is ongoing, and police said they are looking for information on the person they believe drove Burr to the crime scene.