Bond set at $500,000 for man arrested at homicide scene

A judge on Monday set a bond of $500,000 for a man arrested on a warrant at the scene of a homicide in downtown Spokane Thursday. Jimmy Joe Blackburn, 29, faces three counts of attempted second-degree murder, second-degree unlawful possession of a firearm and malicious harassment. Police say on Wednesday, the day before the shooting that left Paul A. Haney, 33, of Yakima, dead in the downtown Days Inn parking lot, Blackburn got into an altercation with several teenagers near 33rd Avenue and Thor Street. He used racial slurs, shot at them once, hitting a van the victims were hiding behind, and fled on a moped, which had been reported stolen earlier that day. The moped was confiscated at the scene of the homicide the following day, but Blackburn’s role remains unclear. In setting the bond, Judge Annette Plese cited Blackburn’s six prior felonies, several failures to appear in court and the “severe danger to the community” he presents. His arraignment is set for Sept. 25. Meanwhile, police are looking for Kevin Heaton, 35, who is considered a “person of interest” in the Days Inn homicide.