Two Gonzaga students suspected of severely injuring man by throwing firework into crowd

Two Gonzaga University students were arrested Wednesday on suspicion of throwing a firework into a downtown crowd and severely injuring a man earlier this month.

Theodore T. Weymiller, 21, from Buckley, Washington, and Sam J. Hopper, 22, from Hansville, Washington, contacted police through their attorneys and requested to turn themselves in, according to the Spokane police news release.

Both appear to be upperclassmen at Gonzaga University and were named on the school’s 2025 spring semester dean’s list.

Officers responded shortly after midnight on Nov. 8 to Second Avenue and Wall Street for a report of a loud noise or a possible shooting. 911 call takers received reports of a loud “bang” and that a man was walking in the area with visible injuries. When officers arrived, they were told the man was taken to the hospital.

Police say a white vehicle, captured on security footage, pulled up near a group of people and lit a firework. The person in the car threw it into the crowd before driving away, according to a previous news release from the department.

The firework landed in a 15-year-old’s lap before the man grabbed it and it exploded in his hand. His injuries were so severe he was taken to Harborview Medical Center in Seattle, police said. Investigators initially had to ask for the public’s help finding the suspects involved.

Weymiller and Hopper will be charged with two counts of first-degree assault, according to court records.

Gonzaga University officials are cooperating with the police investigation, according to a Gonzaga news release.

“Gonzaga University was deeply saddened to learn that two GU students may have been involved in a violent incident that occurred in downtown Spokane earlier this month in which a person was seriously injured,” the Gonzaga statement said. “The University extends our prayers and concern for the injured as well as all who were traumatized. We stand firmly in our Catholic, Jesuit mission, which affirms the dignity of every human life and condemns violence.”