Suspect shot at by police at Northern Quest says it all started with 7 cents

A man who was shot at by a police officer at the Northern Quest Resort & Casino in Airway Heights on Monday said the whole thing started when he tried to cash out 7 cents from a slot machine.

It ended with him being grazed by a police officer’s bullet. He’s now in the county jail, facing two felony charges.

Zachary Craig, 19, told The Spokesman-Review a bullet grazed his right side when a Kalispel Tribal Police officer, identified in court documents as Officer Dice, fired at his car while he attempted to drive away from the casino. He described the wound as “not super serious,” but said it was bleeding and painful immediately after the incident.

On Monday, Craig was at the casino with a friend and went to cash out the remaining cents on his machine. He said he had not yet pulled the ticket from the machine when a security guard came up and requested his identification. Craig told the guard it was in his car and offered to retrieve it, but the guard told him to come to the back room instead.

Craig said he has gambled frequently at Northern Quest , despite being below the casino’s age threshold of 21. He said he had been caught once without identification and was asked to leave, but did not believe the casino legally barred him from the property as he had been back several times since.

“I just said, ‘If this is a problem I’ll leave, because I don’t want any trouble,’ ” Craig said. “That’s just my instinct, I guess, I go right to fight or flight.”

Craig declined to comment when asked if he had fled because he felt he was doing something suspicious.

At the time of the incident, Craig had an outstanding Department of Corrections warrant, issued at the end of March, for his arrest in Spokane County after failing to comply with community custody. Craig had been under supervision after a felony drug possession charge in January. He is also facing a pending assault charge in Franklin County, according to court documents.

Craig said the friend he was with did not accompany him to the car, which she owned, and that he had not heard from her since. He had planned to come back and get her later once he left.

According to court documents, Craig was seen running to a car parked outside the casino after tribal police responded Monday to a report of theft and trespassing. While attempting to evade police cars in the parking lot, Craig rammed several other cars, including a patrol car occupied by an officer, court documents say.

He then drove forward in the direction of another officer standing outside a parked police car, at which point Officer Dice fired, striking Craig’s front passenger window, according to court documents.

Craig said he hadn’t seen the officer and wasn’t planning to harm him.

“Next thing you know, the cop shot at me,” Craig said. “It shocked me because I felt that was just over the edge. I didn’t see any reason to shoot me.”

Through the adrenaline rush, Craig said he didn’t realize the bullet had grazed him at first.

Craig stopped the car and let officers cuff him. After he was detained by police, Craig said firefighters inspected the wound and “cleaned it up a little,” but never offered to take him to see a doctor.

Had they offered the choice, Craig said he would have gone to the hospital.

“They asked me stuff like, ‘Who is the president? What’s your name?’ That kind of thing,” Craig said. “They said I had to answer to make sure I was OK so they didn’t have to take me to the hospital.”

Airway Heights Police Chief Brad Richmond said shortly after the incident Monday that Craig had declined medical attention, but did not say whether he had been injured.

On Friday, Richmond said he could not comment on the facts of the case until documents formally charging Craig were filed with the county prosecutor, which he expected early next week. In response to Craig’s claim that he was not offered medical attention, Richmond declined to confirm or deny the allegation.

“But I can tell you we will always offer aid to any individual that needs it. That’s what we do as public servants,” Richmond said. “That’s our job.”

The Airway Heights Police Department, the lead agency on the case under the Spokane Independent Investigative Response Team, has not identified the involved officer or commented on his leave status. Kalispel Tribal police confirmed Tuesday that an Officer Daniel Dice works for the department, but declined to say whether he was the officer involved.

Craig is charged with intention to commit second-degree assault and attempting to elude a pursuing police vehicle. The assault charge stems from him allegedly ramming a patrol car occupied by an officer, though Craig said he did not know there was anyone in the car.

Craig is being held at Spokane County Jail on $100,000 bail. He said he understands why he is being charged with eluding, but plans to fight the assault charge.

“I think, looking back, it could have been handled a lot better on both sides,” Craig said.