Valley couple involved in shooting

A couple with apparent ties to a local family game business was involved in a double shooting Saturday that left the 52-year-old woman in critical condition and sent her 56-year-old husband to a Seattle hospital with possible spinal injuries.

Spokane Valley police and Spokane Sheriff’s Department detectives were called to a residence at 111 N. Locust Road at 9:42 a.m. Saturday by a man who said he’d been shot by his wife, said Sgt. Dave Reagan, the Sheriff’s Department public information officer.

When officers arrived, they found the man had a gunshot wound to his side. His wife was on the floor with gunshot wounds to her chest and head. The weapon was a 9mm semi-automatic pistol, from which three shots appeared to have been fired.

Both were rushed to area hospitals. The woman underwent surgery for her injuries. The man was admitted to a local intensive care unit with internal injuries and then flown to Harborview Medical Center in Seattle for treatment, Reagan said. The man’s condition was unavailable.

The man told officers that the couple owns a business, Blongo Family Fun, in Spokane Valley. He and other witnesses said that the couple had a heated argument at the business early Saturday.

The wife left, followed by the husband, who told police he went by the apartment to get clothing. He said he intended to move out.

Reagan declined to identify the couple. However, state business records indicate that Blongo Family Fun is operated by a corporation, Yellow Jacket Partners Inc.

A 2003 story in the Spokane Journal of Business identified the owners of Blongo Family Fun and Yellow Jacket Partners Inc. as Mike Long and his wife, Roberta Long.

The pair reportedly produced and marketed a game called “Blongoball,” in which players toss a short nylon rope with golf balls attached at either end toward a small goal constructed of PVC pipe.

The game received the Family Review Center’s 2005 Seal of Approval Award, according to the business Web site.