$500,000 bond set for machete-killing suspect

A Spokane County District Court judge set a $500,000 bond for a 29-year-old man accused of killing a man with a machete Tuesday during a fight at a downtown 7-Eleven.

Andre A. Conway faces first-degree murder and robbery charges.

Witnesses told Spokane police that Conway was not the one who instigated the brawl that led to the death of 35-year-old Lance Ogle. As many as 20 people were involved in the incident, which police say started at about 2:30 a.m. on the north side of the convenience store’s parking lot at Second Avenue and Division Street. One witness told police many of them had come into the parking lot from the nearby House of Charity, an emergency shelter.

According to court documents, Ogle may have been involved in a drug deal when a fight broke out. During the fight, Conway allegedly pulled an 18-inch machete from his backpack and swung at Ogle’s chest, which the Spokane County medical examiner said resulted in a fatal wound to the heart.

Witnesses identified Conway in a police lineup, and he was arrested Tuesday.

After reading through Conway’s criminal history, which includes assault, theft, escape from community custody, robbery and resisting arrest convictions, District Court Judge Vance Peterson said he would keep Conway’s bond at $500,000. If Conway is able to make bond, he is barred from having any contact with witnesses or the victim’s family.