Woman killed Monday was helping husband clean handgun

Brenda Thurman was helping her husband clean a handgun when it discharged, killing the Spokane Valley woman on Monday, according to court documents.

The couple had recently purchased a Glock .380 handgun and it wasn’t working properly, those documents say. Dwayne Thurman was cleaning the handgun in the kitchen, with Brenda nearby researching the problem on her iPad when the gun discharged hitting Brenda in the chest, according to court documents.

Police arrived after Dwayne called 911.

Both Thurmans are military veterans; Brenda worked at the Veterans Outreach Center in Spokane Valley and Dwayne works at the VA’s downtown Spokane clinic for homeless veterans. He is also an unpaid reserve deputy with the Lincoln County Sheriff’s Office.

After Brenda was shot, Dwayne and his daughter took her by car to Valley Hospital, where she was pronounced dead, according to court documents.

Police said that upon entering the house on 14121 E. Sinto, they saw a mop near the kitchen table and no obvious blood. According to court documents, there was water on the floor near the mop bucket.