Man says he killed another man after he threatened him with a sledgehammer

A man who shot and killed another man Monday says he acted in self-defense after he was threatened with a sledgehammer.

Spokane County deputies responded to a 911 call at about 6:30 p.m. Monday from a man who said he just shot another man who came at him with a sledgehammer at 2002 S. Park Road, according to court documents.

Vitaliy Ivanov, the 911 caller, met deputies at the end of a driveway. Ivanov, 38, identified himself and showed deputies an empty pistol holster on his hip, documents say.

“He was gonna kill me, man,” Ivanov said to a deputy, without prompting, according to the documents.

Deputies found Boris Titov dead in the driveway with a sledgehammer about 9 feet away from his body. A black Ford F-150 appeared to have fresh damage to the hood, documents say.

Witness Antoliy Lashkay told police Titov came out of the house yelling at Ivanov. Titov went into the garage, came out with a sledgehammer and started pounding on the hood of Ivanov’s truck, Lashkay told deputies.

Then Titov started “aggressing” toward Ivanov, according to court records. Ivanov backed away, pulled out his pistol and said, “Back off,” Lashkay told deputies. Titov dropped the sledgehammer but continued toward Ivanov. Then Ivanov shot him, Lashkay told deputies.

No charges have been filed in relation to the incident, and the investigation is ongoing.