Man found dead in Spokane River

A man was found dead Tuesday afternoon in the Spokane River .

A dive team recovered the man’s body on the west side of town, according to the Spokane Police Department.

Spokane police spokesperson Julie Humphreys said a person fishing near Downriver Golf Course saw the body and called 911 at 11:35 a.m., the Kootenai County Sheriff’s Office Dive Rescue Team arrived at around 2 p.m. and the team recovered the body several hours later. Humphreys said the Kootenai County dive team was called because the Spokane County Sheriff’s Office Dive Team was training Tuesday.

She said it took a while to retrieve the body because of the steep embankment on that part of the river. The Spokane Fire Department helped bring the man up the embankment.

She said police are investigating how the man died and the Spokane County Medical Examiner’s Office has yet to identify the person. He appears to be white and in his 30s.