18-year-old accused in two shootings
An 18-year-old suspected gang member is accused of shooting a young man multiple times in Spokane and firing shots in a drive-by shooting in Spokane Valley earlier this month.
Malakai Swan-McCarthy was arrested Thursday and charged with suspicion of attempted murder and other felony charges, according to a Spokane Regional Safe Streets Task Force news release.
On Feb. 11, Spokane police responded to a shooting call in the 1300 block of East Kiernan Avenue and found a man who had been shot multiple times. The man was taken to the hospital and later released.
Several people witnessed the shooting and captured it on video. Swan-McCarthy was identified as the suspect. The teen is also believed to have pointed a gun at the head of a female and threatened to kill her.
Two days before the shooting, Swan-McCarthy was suspected of firing shots in the area of 11000 East Montgomery Avenue in Spokane Valley. A person who called police reported finding spent casings in the parking lot. The caller noticed an earlier fight on his video surveillance where a man, whom police believe was Swan-McCarthy, fired a handgun into the air.
On Thursday, task force members saw Swan-McCarthy and five others flee in a vehicle from a north Spokane parking lot after a heated exchange with two others. The task force located the vehicle about 30 minutes later at a Sunset Highway motel in southwest Spokane. Spokane police SWAT members assisted in detaining people in one of the motel rooms.
Most of the people detained were minors known to the task force to be associated with gangs and criminal activity, authorities said.
Swan-McCarthy was arrested on suspicion of first-degree attempted murder, second-degree assault, threats to kill and first-degree unlawful possession of a firearm for the Kiernan shooting.
Swan-McCarthy was charged with suspicion of drive-by shooting, first-degree unlawful possession of a firearm and discharging a firearm in connection with the Spokane Valley shooting. Swan-McCarthy is a convicted felon and not allowed to possess a gun.
The teen was listed in the Spokane County Jail Saturday with more than a $1 million bond.
Authorities continue to investigate and more charges and arrests are possible.