Man arrested after standoff that forced children into lockdown at Moran Prairie Elementary

The man who was arrested late Thursday night in a Moran Prairie standoff allegedly brandished a firearm at deputies the night before before exchanging gunfire with law enforcement Thursday, leading to a massive law enforcement response . 

Spokane County Sheriff John Nowels wouldn’t share the suspect’s name, but said the man was taken to a local hospital for his “wounds.” He said he was unsure whether the suspect was shot and that he was unaware of any injuries to deputies.

Deputies warned the public to stay away from the “active scene” that led to children being locked down at a nearby school. 

The incident happened on the 5500 block of South Glenrose Road.

“Residents in that area should shelter in place until we advise,” a news release from the sheriff’s office read.

The standoff trapped children inside nearby Moran Prairie Elementary School as the sheriff’s office ordered lockdowns, but those children were later released to their parents after the man was arrested.

Ryan Lancaster with Spokane Public Schools said in an email that “a small number of people” were inside  the elementary school for Cub Scouts and YMCA basketball when the shelter-in-place order went into effect. Lancaster said they were safe and had been in contact with law enforcement and their families.

Roads in the area were blocked as dozens of law enforcement vehicles and personnel swarmed the scene, including from the sheriff’s office, Spokane Police Department and Washington State Patrol. A helicopter could also be seen flying overhead, as well as a drone.

Nowels said Thursday’s standoff stemmed from an incident the day before, and deputies had been surveilling the man.

He said deputies responded Wednesday evening to a call from a “designated crisis responder” about a person who was in crisis at the Glenrose Road residence. Deputies contacted the man who was arrested Thursday night inside the home.

The man said through a house window that he did not believe deputies on scene were law enforcement, according to Nowels. Nowels said deputies illuminated themselves with a flashlight to show they were deputies. The man then brandished a firearm and pointed it at deputies, who took cover.

“In the interest of safety and knowing that there was no one currently inside the residence other than the suspect, they decided it would be safest to deescalate the situation and leave,” Nowels said.

On Thursday morning, detectives developed probable cause to arrest the man on suspicion of two counts of second-degree assault for his alleged actions Wednesday night.

In an effort to avoid a “lethal confrontation” with the suspect, detectives secured a search warrant for the residence to recover the firearm the man allegedly pointed at deputies. Nowels said detectives also developed probable cause to charge the man on suspicion of second-degree robbery domestic violence.

Nowels said deputies, some of whom were undercover, surveilled the residence Thursday to make sure the man did not do anything to endanger neighbors or others. Later, the man drove away from the residence to a South Hill grocery store while deputies continued to watch him.

The man threatened people at the grocery store, got back into his car and headed back home, Nowels said. He said deputies determined it was unsafe to allow the man to go inside the house.

“When we confronted the subject at his residence, gunfire was exchanged,” Nowels said. “The subject retreated into the house.”

Nowels said he did not know who fired first.

After several hours of negotiations with the man, he exited the residence and was arrested. No one else was inside the residence during the standoff, Nowels said.

“We were spending a tremendous amount of time today trying to go through the number of different ways that we could get the subject into custody without having this type of a confrontation,” Nowels said. “When the subject left the house, was threatening other people in the public, he obviously changed the dynamic and forced our hand into that confrontation and we could no longer safely just let him roam about the public.” 

Nowels said the man could face other charges. 

The Spokane Independent Investigative Response Team will investigate the shooting. The sheriff’s office will release the identity of the law enforcement officer(s) involved in the shooting.