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

Police: Teen shot and killed as friends danced with guns while drinking at Spokane house party

An 18-year-old man  was killed early Wednesday when police say he was accidentally shot at a northwest Spokane house party by another teen who was drinking and dancing with a loaded gun.

Two witnesses, a 16-year-old girl and another 18-year-old man, say they both tried chest compressions to save Daunte Frazier, according to court documents.

Jaliauna Templeton, 18, was arrested on a charge of first-degree manslaughter after police believe she shot Frazier while friends drank, danced and pointed guns at each other, according to court documents.

Video from one of the teens’ phones showed partygoers including Frazier, Templeton and Brianna Schimpf, 18, pointing guns at each other in a blue 2005 Chevy Impala minutes before a 911 caller reported the shooting, according to court documents. In other videos, teens appear dancing and drinking hard liquor while pointing guns at each other.

Just before the shooting, the 16-year-old girl said they were all in Templeton’s room at 2011 N. Jefferson St . The youngest teen had a gun with a laser “beam” fixed on it, according to court documents.

Frazier was sitting on the end of the bed and Templeton was standing in front of him, court documents say. Templeton had a pistol in one hand, a phone in the other and was dancing, according to the documents.

The minor who was carrying the gun with the laser beam on it told police she looked up and saw Templeton standing with the smoking gun still in her hand, according to court documents.

Frazier fell to the floor with a gunshot to the head, the minor told police. The initial 911 caller said a “male had been shot in the face,” the documents say. Templeton dropped the gun and collapsed to her knees, the minor told police.

Police initially suspected Schimpf of acting as an accessory, though a judge found there was not probable cause to arrest her, said Marcy Smith, criminal court coordinator.

In the back of a police car after Schimpf and Templeton had been arrested, Templeton intermittently cried and screamed, according to court documents.

Editor’s note: An earlier version of this story omitted the first name of the shooting victim. Also, the suspect’s first name was misspelled. This story has been updated to reflect those corrections.