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The Spokesman-Review Newspaper
Spokane, Washington  Est. May 19, 1883

Victim in South Hill shooting identified

A man died after he was shot near 29th Avenue and Thor Street in Spokane on Tuesday, July 26, 2016. (Chad Sokol / The Spokesman-Review)
From staff reports

A man was fatally shot by an unknown assailant Tuesday night on the South Hill.

Melvin Rouse, 31, died of a “gunshot wound of the back and chest,” according to the Spokane County Medical Examiner’s Office, which ruled the death a homicide.

Callers reported an erratic driver at about 10 p.m., and police said they found Rouse about five minutes later in the driver’s seat of a car stopped near Rockwood and Southeast boulevards. It had veered onto the sidewalk and crashed into a tree.

Officers, firefighters and paramedics provided aid before Rouse was taken to Providence Sacred Heart Medical Center, where he died.

Police tracked the shooting to a driveway on Thor Street near East 29th Avenue. Detectives believe Rouse was shot in a parked car there before he sped away, leaving serpentine tire marks in the unpaved road.

Officer Teresa Fuller said police have no suspects. They are asking anyone who saw or heard suspicious activity in the area to call Crime Check at (509) 456-2233.