Man killed by Spokane police on Friday identified

The man shot and killed by police after wounding a Spokane police officer Friday at the Rodeway Inn & Suites in Spokane Valley has been identified as Joshua Clayton Brant, 31.

Brant’s cause of death was multiple gunshot wounds, according to the Spokane County Medical Examiner.

The incident that led to the shooting started in Airway Heights on Thursday morning when police responded to a carjacking, according to a Spokane Police Department news release.

Police believed there were two suspects in a truck armed with a .45 caliber pistol but after a car chase became dangerous, law enforcement was unable to arrest the suspects.

Several hours later, Spokane police spotted the truck and tried to conduct a traffic stop, said Sgt. Terry Preuninger.

Eventually, officers located the truck at about 10:30 a.m. Friday morning and approached the vehicle, Preuninger said.

That’s when Brant got out of the truck with a gun. Both Brant and an officer fired their weapons, leaving the officer injured and Brant dead.

The officer, who has yet to be identified, has since been released from the hospital and is recovering, Preuninger said.

The Spokane Independent Investigative Response Team, comprised of multiple agencies in Eastern Washington, including the Spokane County Sheriff’s Office, the Washington State Patrol and the Spokane Police Department, investigated the scene. Washington State Patrol will manage the case.

Once the SIIR Team investigation is complete, it will forward the case to the Spokane County Prosecutor’s Office for review.