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The Spokesman-Review Newspaper
Spokane, Washington  Est. May 19, 1883

Police search launched in killings

Two shot to death Saturday night on West Boone

Merle Harvey (Spokane Police Department)
Two men were shot and killed Saturday night in West Central Spokane, and police are searching for a man they believe is responsible. Spokane police detectives are looking for Merle W. Harvey, 27, on suspicion of two counts of first-degree murder. Detectives believe Harvey may be with a white woman, in her mid-30s to 40s with short red or brown hair, a thin build and standing about 5-foot-8, police said in a news release. They may be traveling in an older model flatbed truck. Police said anyone with information about Harvey’s whereabouts should call 911. Officers were call to a parking lot behind an apartment at 1310 W. Boone Ave. about 9:30 p.m. Saturday where the men were shot. Neighbors said Jack Lamere, who was living with his girlfriend at the address, was working on a pickup behind the building with a friend when they were approached by another man who was seeking to trade his Cadillac for Lamere’s Chevy Blazer. Neighbors said Lamere told the man he was not interested in making a trade. The man then shot him several times and also shot Lamere’s friend, neighbors said. Spokane police spokeswoman Jennifer De Ruwe said investigators are waiting to release the name of Lamere’s friend until his family is notified. The man who shot them fled in a truck driven by a woman, neighbors said. Wayne Rund, who lives next door to the apartment, said he heard the shots, ran outside and saw Lamere’s friend on the ground. He said he attempted CPR until medics arrived. “He was gasping for air,” Rund said, adding that it appeared he had been shot in the back. “There was a bunch of yelling going on, something about something being stolen,” Rund said. “I couldn’t see who it was, everything obstructed my view.”