Spokane Valley shooting ruled accidental; detectives still investigating

The Spokane County Medical Examiner has ruled Brenda Thurman’s shooting death accidental, but Spokane Valley detectives are continuing to investigate the case as a possible homicide.

Thurman was shot in the chest by her husband, Dwayne Thurman, in their Spokane Valley home on Jan. 18. Dwayne Thurman told police that he was cleaning a handgun when it went off, fatally wounding his wife. No charges have been filed.

“It’s still an active, ongoing investigation,” said Sheriff’s Office spokesman Deputy Mark Gregory. “We have not reached a conclusion. We have to follow all leads.”

Detectives filed new search warrants in the case Tuesday seeking the cellphone records of both Thurmans. Brenda Thurman’s phone was not found at her home when she died, according to court documents. However, an employee at the Spokane Veterans Administration, where both Thurmans worked, told police that Dwayne Thurman turned in both his and his wife’s phones sometime after her death. Both phones were supplied to the Thurmans by the VA.

A detective overheard the couple’s daughter telling a neighbor about the shooting, saying that she was unsure if her father had “done it on purpose,” according to court documents.

Both Brenda and Dwayne Thurman are Army veterans, and Dwayne Thurman has been a reserve deputy in Lincoln County for several years.