Police responding to domestic violence call shoot man in south Spokane

A man was shot and killed early Monday by police officers responding to a domestic violence incident south of Spokane, just outside city limits.

Officers and sheriff’s deputies were called at about 12:30 a.m. to a home in the 5900 block of South Mount Vernon Street. The first officer on scene reported hearing gunfire within a minute of arrival, police said in a statement.

Two officers fired their weapons shortly after, striking 53-year-old Daniel Craven multiple times. They were wearing body cameras and reported finding a gun near Craven after shooting him.

The officers rendered medical aid, and Craven was taken to Providence Sacred Heart Medical Center, where he died.

A man who lives near the shooting scene said he awoke at 4 a.m. to flashing lights and several police officers walking around outside his home.

“There were cops everywhere,” said the man, who declined to give his name. “They had flashlights, and they must be really nice because it was bright.”

There was also a bullet lodged in the door of his garage.

“Apparently it didn’t have enough force to get through the door,” he said.

The man said several of his neighbors described hearing a “pop, pop, pop” late Sunday night and assumed it was teenagers lighting off fireworks ahead of the Fourth of July. Even after hearing the sirens, they assumed it was an accident related to fireworks.

“This has been a very quiet neighborhood,” he said.

Because it involves an officer, the shooting is being investigated by the Spokane Investigative Regional Response Team, which includes detectives from the Spokane Police Department, the Spokane County Sheriff’s Office and the Washington State Patrol. The team’s findings will be forwarded to the county prosecutor’s office for review.