Deputy vindicated in shooting

The Spokane County Sheriff’s Office announced Friday that Deputy Tom Edelbrock’s fatal shooting of a Montana man last February was ruled justifiable by the county prosecutor’s office.

Sheriff’s Deputy Tom Edelbrock shot at 29-year-old Dustin Lowe, striking him once in the head, during a foot chase at the north end of Silver Lake off state Route 902, after the suspect repeatedly dropped into a shooting stance and yelled that he would “shoot,” according to investigators.

“Under (the circumstances), it is reasonable to conclude Deputy Edelbrock was justified in believing (Dustin) Lowe posed a threat of serious physical harm and therefore was justified in using deadly force,” wrote Spokane County Deputy Prosecutor Jack Driscoll in a July 17 memorandum.

“Edelbrock told investigators that just prior to shooting Lowe, the suspect again turned on the deputy and that Edelbrock saw a gun in his hands,” said Sheriff’s Office spokesman Sgt. Dave Reagan. “Detectives later determined that the suspect was holding a small flashlight that had a matte finish, pretending it was a firearm.”

The incident began in the morning hours of Feb. 2 when Edelbrock stopped to check on a 2005 Dodge Neon parked alongside the highway in which a man, who later turned out to be Lowe, appeared to be slumped over the wheel, Reagan said. Lowe got out of the car when the deputy walked up to the driver’s side door. Edelbrock radioed in the license plates and discovered the car had been reported stolen in Montana, at about the same time Lowe ran from the vehicle.

Edelbrock chased the suspect nearly a half mile before the shooting. Detectives found methamphetamine, swords, a pistol-replica pellet gun, pornography and children’s clothing inside the stolen car.