Man sentenced to 5 years in prison following Chief Garry Park shooting in June 2022

A man was sentenced to five years in prison on Jan. 31 after he attacked another man last year in a parking lot and then fired a pistol at people who attempted to intervene in an industrial area near Chief Garry Park.

Aaron P. Lichtscheidl, 41, pleaded guilty in December to one count of second-degree assault after a husband and wife were both injured in the shooting in late spring.

The married couple were parked in their vehicle, along with another passenger in the back seat, when they saw Lichtscheidl beating up another man known as “Charlie” on East Surro Avenue, at about 5:30 p.m. on June 14, according to court documents. The husband told Lichtscheidl to stop, but Lichtscheidl instead directed his assault at the husband and wife. He pointed a handgun at them, cursed at them, and walked over to their vehicle and fired a single round from his handgun through the passenger window, injuring both of them.

The couple sped off from the shooting. The wife, who was driving, received a grazing shot to the stomach while the husband received wounds from the shattered glass of the window. The passenger in the back seat was uninjured.

Lichtscheidl was arrested about a week later on two counts of first-degree assault after witnesses identified him in different photographs.

In addition to assault, he also pleaded guilty to first-degree unlawful possession of a firearm, and possession of methamphetamine with intent to distribute. He will also serve 18 months in community custody after his release.

Lichtscheidl’s criminal history includes a handful of drug and theft charges going back to the early 2000s, according to Spokane County Superior Court documents.