East Valley High teacher charged with shooting at ex-wife in Spokane, Cheney in 2 separate incidents

An East Valley High School special education teacher charged with shooting at his ex-wife in Spokane in May is now accused of shooting at her in March at a Cheney Starbucks.

Benjamin Hill, 41, is charged with attempted first-degree murder and first-degree assault for the Cheney incident in which prosecutors believe Hill’s ex-wife was the target, according to court documents.

Instead, a bullet almost struck a different person, a 39-year-old driver, in the head in the Starbucks drive-thru line, court records show. The Hills’ daughter, a minor, was with her mother at the time of the shooting.

Hill was placed on paid administrative leave from his job after the Spokane shooting, with which he was charged first.

In that incident, Hill is suspected of shooting at his ex-wife while she was driving to work on May 18 near Providence Sacred Heart Medical Center. No one was injured in either shooting.

Police learned last month a casing from Cheney matched the casing found from the Spokane shooting in which Hill was charged with first-degree assault, documents say. Police believe the same gun, which was reportedly stolen between December and February from a family member of Hill’s ex-wife, was used in both shootings.

At about 9:10 a.m. March 4, Cheney police officers were called to a gunshots report at Starbucks, 2816 First St., where a vehicle was struck in the drive-thru, according to documents. The Starbucks manager told police she checked with customers, and they said they heard the gunshot but did not see anything.

The driver, whose 2021 Chevy Traverse was struck by a bullet, told police he was in the drive-thr u waiting for his online mobile order when he heard a loud noise as if someone threw a rock at his vehicle. He said he realized his vehicle had been shot after seeing a bullet fragment on his dashboard and two areas that were damaged by the bullet.

Police said in documents the bullet went through one of the driver’s windows and hit the interior roof and front windshield before coming to rest on the dashboard. Eastern Washington University Police officers found a 9 mm Luger bullet casing about 60 yards from where the bullet struck the Chevy.

“The shooting endangered the lives of many innocent bystanders, including Benjamin’s own daughter who was sitting partly between (the ex-wife) and where Benjamin would have been shooting from,” police said in court documents. “Though the shot was fired at (Hill’s ex-wife), the lack of marksmanship nearly cost (the driver) his life.”

Hill was arrested May 18 after the Spokane shooting and posted bond, according to documents. He was arrested on the new charges June 16 and remained in the Spokane County Jail on Sunday on a $1 million bond.

He is scheduled for trial Aug. 21 in both cases.