Spokane police: Suspect who shot, killed 1 in critical condition after attempted suicide

One person allegedly shot and killed a man before attempting to kill himself in what police described as an apparently unprovoked shooting that occurred Saturday in northwest Spokane.

Investigators with the Spokane Police Department said in a release Monday that charges are pending the medical status of the suspect, who is in critical condition, but is expected to survive. Police said he will be identified once he is medically cleared for booking into the Spokane County Jail or is formally charged in another manner.

Police said officers responded around 7 p.m. Saturday to a residence on the 1300 block of West Shannon Avenue upon reports of a shooting. Responders found an adult man suffering from gunshot wounds. Despite care provided by officers as well as Spokane Fire Department and AMR medics, the man died of his injuries.

Police have not identified the man or the suspect, who was an acquaintance of some former tenants at the residence, according to the police. Witnesses told officers the suspect arrived uninvited and let himself into the residence where he talked nonsensically, such as speaking to people who were not physically present and expressing thoughts of extreme paranoia.

Witnesses said the suspect eventually produced a handgun without provocation and shot the victim, who was visiting the residence. Police said there was no indication the shooter and the victim knew each other, while individuals familiar with the suspect told police they knew him to abuse drugs and act unpredictably.

Police said officers received a call a short time after the first shooting about a shooting a couple blocks away on the corner of Monroe Street and Knox Avenue near Bellwether Brewing Co. and Silver Auctions.

Responders found the suspect of the original shooting suffering from an apparent self-inflicted gunshot wound, according to the police department. He was transported to a local hospital with life-threatening injuries.