Officers identified in Salvation Army shooting

The Spokane Police Department on Tuesday released the names of four officers involved in last week’s shooting incident that left a 40-year-old Salvation Army transitional housing resident dead. Officers Lt. Kevin King, Robert Collins, Corey Lyons and Scott Lesser fired at Danny Jones, a felony hit-and-run suspect who police said twice struck another vehicle around 6 a.m. Thursday. Jones, who was driving a white truck, led police to the parking lot of the Salvation Army complex at 204 E. Indiana. According to police, responding officers made verbal contact with Jones who began ramming parked police vehicles. Fearing for their safety, officers opened fire around 6:12 a.m., according to police. Jones later died from his injuries. The officers involved in the shooting have more than 50 years of combined experience, according to a news release from the police department. King has served for 25 years, earning commendations for his work with the K-9 and SWAT units. Collins has served 18 years and is a member of the force’s Patrol Anti-Crime Team. Jones’ family and friends gathered Tuesday to grieve and remember a man they said made some mistakes, but whose life was on the mend. Jones had recently returned to Spokane from Western Washington following a stay in jail on drug charges and a probation violation, according to his wife, Nancy. Members of the family questioned why Jones was not taken into custody using non-lethal measures. “They murdered my son,” Jones’ mother, Debbie, said. A memorial service for Jones was held Tuesday at CrossWind Church in Mead, near where Jones’ family moved from California in 1980. The Spokane Investigative Regional Response team, made up of members of the Spokane County Sheriff’s Office, the Washington State Patrol and the Spokane Police Department, are investigating the incident. The shooting was recorded on a surveillance camera on the Salvation Army’s building.