Deputy kills suspect after foot chase

A 29-year-old man, who was shot and killed by a Spokane County sheriff’s deputy near Medical Lake on Thursday, had a history of altercations with law enforcement.

Dustin M. Lowe, a former Billings resident, was pronounced dead at the scene, Spokane authorities said. Lowe’s identity was confirmed by Yellowstone County attorney Dennis Paxinos, whose office prosecuted him in several cases, including one in 2003 that involved law enforcement.

The Spokane County sheriff’s deputy, whose identity was being withheld, shot Lowe in an open field near the intersection of Medical Lake and Bartholomew roads shortly before 9 a.m., officials said. The deputy chased the man about a quarter of a mile toward north Silver Lake before firing his .45-caliber semiautomatic gun.

It was unknown what happened in the moments immediately before the shooting, officials said. The incident began Thursday morning when the sheriff’s deputy spotted a 2005 Dodge Neon stopped alongside Medical Lake Road, about 4½ miles north of Interstate 90, and pulled up to the vehicle to talk to the driver, Spokane County Sheriff’s Office spokesman Cpl. Dave Reagan said.

After obtaining the driver’s name, the deputy learned from a computer search that the car had been stolen Jan. 24 in Deer Lodge, Mont., and that the driver was wanted for questioning.

The deputy also learned that the driver had previously attacked law enforcement officers and was possibly armed with a knife, Reagan said. When the deputy headed back to the car, Lowe allegedly ran.

“He ran right out of one of his boots,” Reagan added. The man ran through a vacant field south of Medical Lake Road toward a small lake. The deputy shot the man at the edge of a thicket by the lake and immediately called for backup deputies and paramedics.

It was unclear what prompted the deputy to shoot or whether any weapons were found on the man.

Using a gun is a deputy’s last resort, Reagan said. It’s only used “to protect his life or the life of someone else.”

Detectives with Spokane police and the Spokane County Sheriff’s Office are investigating. The deputy has been put on paid administrative leave pending the outcome.

Lowe was released from prison Dec. 18 after serving time for drug possession. He violated his parole on Jan. 20, Montana Department of Corrections officials said. Lowe also has previous convictions for theft, criminal endangerment, criminal mischief and possession of a controlled substance with intent to sell.

He was convicted of obstructing a police officer in connection with the 2003 incident involving Yellowstone County sheriff’s deputies.

In that incident, Lowe’s family told deputies he’d stolen a car and was possibly doing drugs again, Paxinos said. The family said Lowe might have gone to a nearby casino.

“Deputies thought they were doing a welfare check, basically. He comes busting out of the doors of the casino,” Paxinos said. The deputies wrestled with Lowe, tried to pepper spray him, but he got away. He said he had a gun and acted as if he was reaching for it, Paxinos said. The police fired twice, hitting him in the back.

The shooting was determined to be justified.

In an earlier encounter with law enforcement. Lowe got into an altercation with police in a small town near Boise.

“He told officers: Don’t come near me, I have a gun,” Paxinos said. That turned into an eight-hour standoff.

“I feel bad for the Lowe family,” Paxinos said. “And I feel bad for that deputy who shot him.”