Monday’s shooting that critically injured a teen in east Spokane may have been a random attack
Police believe the shooting that critically injured a teenage boy may have been a random attack.
Video surveillance footage, including some from the Hells Angels Club House in east Spokane, helped police identify the man who allegedly shot 17-year-old Dakota Runge outside the Bel-Air Motel just after midnight Monday morning.
Court documents also show that the suspect, 43-year-old Brice W. Bailey, has a history of mental health issues and had been recently ordered to have a mental health assessment.
The surveillance video showed that Runge was walking down the sidewalk when Bailey’s car pulled up next to him, after which Runge fell to the ground. Runge was shot in the back of the head and is in critical condition at a local hospital.
The car shown on the video was a silver 2007 Kia Rio with Idaho license plates. Police searched Idaho license records before finding a Kia Rio registered to Bailey. Police located the car at 1113 W. Maxwell Ave. and were able to arrest Bailey without incident Wednesday morning.
Bailey also is suspected of shooting at a man in Spokane Valley at Seventh Avenue and Thierman Road about 20 minutes before the Bel-Air Motel shooting. The victim told police he was driving down Sprague Avenue when Bailey drove up alongside him and stared at him before pulling ahead and driving erratically, according to court documents.
The victim reported that Bailey followed him home and then shot at him from inside his car, court documents say. He was not injured and was able to identify Bailey in a photo lineup. Police also obtained video surveillance footage from several businesses along Sprague Avenue that showed Bailey’s car and the victim’s car.
Evidence of the crimes was found inside Bailey’s Maxwell Avenue apartment, said Lt. Steve Wohl. Police also found methamphetamine, and Bailey could face charges of unlawful possession of firearm and drug charges in addition to two charges of first-degree attempted murder.
The shootings appear to be random, Wohl said. “We have nothing to show that they knew each other and nothing precipitated the violent acts,” he said.
When Bailey appeared in court Thursday he did not speak or respond when spoken to. His attorney, Frank Cikutovich, said he was requesting an immediate mental health assessment. “He’s in no condition to either answer questions or interact effectively with the court,” he said.
Bailey was handcuffed and surrounded by three corrections officers during his court appearance and Judge Patti Walker was told he had been threatening jail staff. The $1 million bond listed on his arrest warrant was maintained.
Court records show that Bailey was ordered to attend a drug treatment program instead of jail time for two recent drug possession charges. He completed his three-month treatment in October, but in December, Department of Corrections officials said he was off his medication and was belligerent and uncooperative, according to court documents. He was jailed for two weeks for violating the terms of his probation and released from jail on Jan. 3.
In early 2016, Bailey was committed to Eastern State Hospital in order to make him competent to stand trial on drug charges. A report from the hospital indicates that Bailey had a traumatic brain injury at the age of 15, was a heavy drug user and is schizophrenic. It was his fourth hospitalization there.
Mental health professionals called Bailey a danger to himself and others in 2015, according to court documents. That determination was made after Bailey said he wanted to kill people on the street or anyone who challenged him, court documents state.
Staff reporter Jonathan Glover contributed to this report.