Public forum planned over bomb scare

Sheriff Ozzie Knezovich and state Rep. Kevin Parker will hold a town hall meeting Saturday to discuss public concerns over the bomb found along the planned route for the Martin Luther King Jr. march in downtown Spokane Monday. The one-hour forum, “Understanding threats in our community,” will allow area residents to discuss their concerns and share ideas about the bomb that rerouted Spokane’s Martin Luther King Day march as well as the Tucson shootings, said Parker, R-Spokane. “As a survivor of the shootings at Columbine High School in 1999, I have learned it is essential we come together to talk about the safety of the community,” said Parker, who was a youth counselor talking with a student when those shootings occurred. The town hall begins at 10 a.m. Saturday in Room 122 of the Phase 1 Building, WSU Riverpoint Campus, 412 E. Spokane Falls Blvd. Meanwhile, the investigation continues into who placed the bomb, which has been described as a thwarted attempt at domestic terrorism. However, investigators do not yet have anyone in custody. “We continue to work through scores of leads,” said Frank Harrill, special agent in charge of the Spokane office of the Federal Bureau of Investigation. “We continue to approach this from a variety of different investigative avenues. “We and every other level of law enforcement is working diligently to ensure Spokane is a safe city and continues to be.”