In brief: 13-year prison term ordered in shooting

A Spokane man will spend more than 13 years in prison for his involvement in the shooting death of another man at a north Spokane house in May.

Joshua J. Tillery, 34, pleaded guilty to first-degree manslaughter in Spokane County Superior Court on Tuesday in exchange for dropping the more serious charge of second-degree murder. Tillery, who goes by the nickname “Danger,” shot Devon Mack, 33, in the head May 3 at a home in the 4500 block of North Lincoln Street.

Police said the two men had been arguing after returning to the home with groceries, and records indicate Tillery may have been trying to pistol-whip Mack when the gun fired.

Judge Maryann Moreno ordered Tillery to serve 162 months in prison following his pleading Tuesday morning.

Kip Hill

Valley shooting being investigated

Spokane County Sheriff’s Office detectives are investigating a shooting in Spokane Valley over the weekend that sent a 22-year-old man to the hospital with a neck wound.

At 3:15 a.m. Saturday, deputies were called to a home in the 11600 block of East Empire Avenue on a suspected shooting, according to a news release from the Sheriff’s Office.

A female witness said the victim had been arguing with the 42-year-old suspected shooter after a night of drinking. She reported hearing one gunshot outside the home and found the victim on his hands and knees in the yard, clutching a wound to his neck. He was driven to the hospital in a private vehicle.

The Sheriff’s Office has not released the identity of the victim or the suspect but said the victim was last listed in stable condition. No arrests had been made in the incident.

Staff report

Small blaze battled near Wolf Lodge

Firefighters from the Idaho Panhandle National Forests were working Tuesday to suppress a 4-acre wildfire burning east of Coeur d’Alene, near Wolf Lodge.

The fire was along Marie Creek, 2 1/2 miles north of Interstate 90 and 5 miles east of the Wolf Lodge exit.

The lightning-caused fire was first located late Sunday night and was 1 acre at that time. Firefighters, including helicopters, air tankers and ground crews, spent Monday and Tuesday constructing fire lines and dropping retardant to slow and contain the blaze.

Firefighting efforts were complicated by the difficult terrain, Forest Service officials said. The closest private property is more than a mile to the west, and there were no threats to structures on Tuesday, according to officials.

Becky Kramer