Man gets 17.5 years in prison for fatal downtown Spokane shooting

A 36-year-old man was sentenced to 17 ½ years in prison for shooting and killing a 62-year-old man, wounding his own girlfriend and pointing a gun at two other men last summer in downtown Spokane.

Wesley Goings pleaded guilty Friday to first-degree manslaughter in the death of Terry McCullah. Spokane County Superior Court Judge Harold Clarke III sentenced Goings to 10 years in prison for the killing.

One witness told police McCullah always wore a cowboy hat and a black leather jacket with an American flag on it, and he listened to rock ’n’ roll music.

On Monday, Goings pleaded guilty to second-degree assault, third-degree assault and first-degree unlawful possession of a firearm for the other crimes he committed the morning of July 17. Goings is a multiple felon and is not allowed to have a gun.

Spokane County Superior Court Judge Raymond Clary tacked on 7 ½ years to Goings’ prison term after Monday’s guilty pleas.

According to court documents, a witness told police he was sitting on the sidewalk in the area of State Street and Pacific Avenue when Goings and his longtime girlfriend arrived. Goings and McCullah were arguing when he heard a “pop” that he recognized as a gunshot, the man said in documents.

The witness said he looked up and saw an orange mist coming from McCullah and determined McCullah was trying to mace Goings.

The witness told police Goings also pointed a gun at him. When officers asked why Goings pointed a gun at him, the witness replied, “There’s just so much violence out here.”

The witness said he started to move toward metal dumpsters for cover when he heard four or five more gunshots. He told police he saw Goings and his girlfriend leave the area and saw McCullah on the ground covered in blood.

Another witness told police Goings pointed a gun at his head. Several witnesses heard multiple gunshots and a suspect leaving the area, documents say.

The Spokane County Medical Examiner’s Office said in court records McCullah was shot multiple times. He died at Providence Sacred Heart Medical Center.

Video surveillance from a building on State and Pacific showed a group of people before the shooting congregating on the sidewalk on the west side of Revival Church along State, documents say.

The surveillance showed Goings arguing with McCullah and then Goings firing bullets while backing away from McCullah. McCullah was shown deploying mace toward Goings.

McCullah fell to the ground from apparent gunshots, police say the video showed. Goings continued to back up and fired an additional volley of bullets in the direction of McCullah, who was on the ground.

Goings’ girlfriend, who was standing near McCullah and was shot in the leg, took Goings from the area after the gunshots.

The girlfriend showed up that morning alone to Sacred Heart, saying she had been shot and maced, documents say. An officer found a bottle of bear mace on the ground near where McCullah was shot.

Another video from the scene indicated a man yelling, “Stand back, get away from me,” and the same man saying, “Don’t point that gun at me.”

Goings then fired two rounds toward McCullah, and McCullah sprayed mace toward Goings as additional rounds of gunfire were heard, according to the video. After a brief pause in gunfire, several additional rounds were heard.

Another video showed Goings after the shooting appearing to hand the gun to a man on a bicycle, who rode away.

Police recovered nine discharged 9 mm casings from the scene, according to documents.

Goings was arrested in Missoula, Montana, a few days after the shooting.