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Spokane, Washington  Est. May 19, 1883

Spokane police charge man with drive-by shooting after weekend shots fired call

A 28-year-old man is accused of shooting at people sitting in a car early Saturday morning on North Division Street, according to the Spokane Police Department.

Damian Zowal is facing multiple felony charges including drive-by shooting, unlawful possession of a firearm (felon in possession), second-degree malicious mischief and two counts of first-degree assault. He is in Spokane County Jail on $75,000 bond.

The charges against Zowal stem from a reported shots fired call around 12:45 a.m. Saturday on the 7000 block of North Division Street.

Officers discovered Zowal was a former acquaintance of the victims to whom they still owed money from when they previously struggled with drug addiction.

The victims tried to avoid interaction with Zowal after encountering him while running errands, according to police. Zowal, however, chased them in his vehicle and fired at least one round, striking the victims’ vehicle, according to police.

The victims told officers they were sitting in the vehicle when Zowal shot at them. Nobody was injured.

Investigators observed a bullet hole in the car and recovered a bullet fragment, police said.

Officers then went to Zowal’s residence in northern Spokane County and found him outside. Zowal retreated into the home when he was told he was under arrest, according to the police department.

Additional resources, including on-duty SWAT team members in an armored vehicle and a Spokane police K-9 unit, were called “based on the severity of the criminal charges and the danger Zowal posed to the community and officers,” according to the police department. Police said Zowal, who surrendered approximately three minutes after the SWAT team arrived, was taken into custody without incident.

Zowal’s criminal history includes 10 prior felony convictions, including first-degree burglary and theft of a firearm.