Woman shot at Hillyard apartment dies
A Spokane woman shot in her Hillyard apartment died Tuesday night, and police are asking for the public’s help to find her boyfriend – who has a history of domestic violence.
The death of Christen N. DeMars, 22, could be the second homicide in Spokane this week. Police are asking anyone who knows the whereabouts of her boyfriend, Cameron D. Keith, 28, to call 911 immediately. The Spokane County Medical Examiner’s Office has held off ruling the shooting a homicide, pending further investigation.
DeMars had a protection order barring Keith (pictured, below, right) from contacting her, but her mother told police that the two were living together.
Court records paint a confusing scene Tuesday morning at her apartment, 2928 E. Diamond Ave. A man apparently in the residence at the time of the shooting at about 10:30 a.m. ran to find a neighbor, brought him to the apartment and urged him to give DeMars CPR, according to court records. That man, whom the neighbor did not recognize, fled while the neighbor began CPR.
DeMars was vomiting and unresponsive when police arrived, and it wasn’t even immediately clear to emergency responders that DeMars – who was surrounded by hypodermic needles and other drug paraphernalia – was shot.
Neighbors said they long believed that the home, which is converted into four apartments, was a drug house.
“There’s always cars coming and stopping, picking up, dropping off, 24-7,” said Rachel Pointer, who lives across the street.
Pointer said the home’s occupants mostly kept to themselves aside from a few loud arguments outside. Several houses on the block are vacant, she said, and one was recently torn down. But Pointer doesn’t think the neighborhood is unsafe, and lets all five of her children walk to school.
A .45-caliber handgun and ammunition were among the 41 items of evidence collected from the apartment, along with syringes and other drug paraphernalia. There were also shotgun shells, a derringer inside a purse, a BB pistol, more than a dozen cellphones and three laptops, according to court documents.
A neighbor called 911 Tuesday morning to report hearing a gunshot and yelling. After he got off the phone, the man knocked on his apartment asking him if he knew CPR. The neighbor said he didn’t really know CPR but went into the apartment and attempted to revive DeMars, who was lying on the bed, according to court documents.
The neighbor told police that he thought the woman was overdosing, but a police officer told paramedics that the woman may have been shot, court documents say. Medics searched the woman and found a gunshot wound above her right hip.
Information released Tuesday by the police department incorrectly indicated that DeMars’ wound was not discovered until she reached the hospital.
Keith has several recent convictions for violating a protection order. Court documents relating to one of Keith’s recent criminal cases were found in the apartment.
DeMars’ mother told police that Keith was abusive and her daughter was trying to leave the relationship, according to court documents.
Her shooting occurred less than a week after Spokane’s most recent killing. On March 20, a man was stabbed to death in East Central Spokane. Arturo Rodriguez-Ramos faces a charge of first-degree manslaughter and has claimed self-defense.
Staff writer Nina Culver can be reached at ninac@spokesman.com and (509) 459-5473.