4 deputies involved in shooting of armed Spokane Valley domestic violence suspect identified

The Spokane County Sheriff’s Office released the names of the four deputies involved in the shooting of an armed domestic violence suspect in Spokane Valley last weekend.

Deputies Jesse Depriest, Tim Jones, Tyler Kullman and Joseph Reno all responded on Sunday to reports of a domestic violence incident that involved Lanz E. Zeppa, 49, at an apartment complex on the 12100 block of East Cataldo Avenue, according to the sheriff’s office. Officials have not said which deputies fired their weapons.

Witnesses reported hearing deputies shoot Zeppa several times after he refused to drop his gun, and he was reportedly armed with three rifles and a handgun, according to court documents. Zeppa’s girlfriend said he punched her and choked their 2-year-old-son, then stabbed the door to the bathroom they were hiding in before deputies arrived.

Depriest, a Navy veteran, has served as a full-time sheriff’s deputy since 1998 but was a reserve deputy beginning in 1993 and Spokane County Jail corrections deputy starting in 1996. Depriest also works as a field training officer.

Jones, who is a part of the SWAT team, joined the sheriff’s office in 2002 after working for the Coeur d’Alene and Bellevue police departments. He earned the medal of honor from the Coeur d’Alene Police Department for de-escalating a situation involving a suicidal male threatening to jump from a bridge.

Kullman, a member of the K-9 unit and a K-9 instructor, has been with the sheriff’s office more than nine years.

Reno came to the sheriff’s office in July 2019 and previously worked as a Washington State Patrol trooper in Western Washington from 2009 to 2014 until he moved to Florida.

Sheriff Ozzie Knezovich said no deputies were injured during the incident on Sunday.

Zeppa is alive and hospitalized in the Spokane area, according to Trooper Jeff Sevigney, a spokesman for the Washington State Patrol, which is leading the investigation into the shooting.

Zeppa has no felony criminal record in Washington, according to court records. A Spokane County Superior Court judge signed a $100,000 warrant for Zeppa’s arrest Monday.