Man whose 180-year prison sentence was lessened is identified as suspect in fatal police chase

A man handed life in prison for his involvement in a shooting – who later had his sentence lessened – was identified as the person who died in a police pursuit over the weekend.

Gregory Sharkey, 42, died Saturday after a suspected domestic violence incident near Boulder Beach on East Upriver Drive, the Washington State Patrol released Thursday. Spokane County deputies responded around 11 a.m., The Spokesman-Review reported.

A woman exited a parked car near Boulder Beach, but the driver drove away. Deputies pursued the vehicle because they had probable cause to arrest the suspect on suspicion of second-degree assault.

The driver, later identified as Sharkey, lost control of the vehicle, crashed into an unoccupied parked car and swerved into a tree. He died at the scene. The victim was transported to the hospital for her injuries.

In 2011, Sharkey was sentenced to more than 180 years in prison for his role in a complicated shooting and crime spree two years prior.

Sharkey and two others got into a brief confrontation with a group of teens at a home at 1103 W. Frederick Ave. on Dec. 22, 2009. The teens had pointed a laser at Sharkey and his friends, Tony Dawson and Margaret Shults, according to previous reporting from The Spokesman-Review.

It led to Dawson firing six shots into the group of teenagers, striking one 18-year-old in the back. He was injured but survived.

Spokane Police Officer Kris Honaker noticed an SUV drive by that was reported stolen, court records say. He attempted to stop the car, and someone inside fired multiple rounds at him.

Honaker was uninjured, The Spokesman-Review reported in 2009.

Honaker was also the victim of another shooting 13 years later. Two men shot through his patrol car as he passed through an intersection in 2022. One bullet hit his leg and the other grazed the top of his head, but he was able to make a full recovery.

When Honaker was shot at the first time, police were able to track down the people in the stolen SUV. They were identified as Sharkey, Dawson and Shults. All were charged with various crimes in relation to the spree, records show.

Sharkey was initially charged with first-degree robbery in connection to the stolen SUV, but the jury instead found him guilty of taking a motor vehicle without permission. He was also found guilty of 10 counts of first-degree assault with an added 10 firearm enhancements, one for each person in the West Frederick Avenue home at the time of the shooting.

Court records filed on behalf of Sharkey’s attorney say he was found guilty based on the testimony of Shults, who was offered a lesser sentence to testify against him.

Shults was sentenced to nearly seven years in prison. Dawson chose to plead guilty instead of going to trial and was released after 12 years.

Sharkey filed a resentencing motion to fight his conviction. He has maintained his innocence for the 15 years he was imprisoned, he told the Appeal, a media nonprofit that focuses on the criminal justice system, in 2024. Dawson even advocated for Sharkey’s release – in a petition posted online, Dawson wrote that “there was no evidence” against Sharkey except for Shults’ testimony.

“Gregory was sentenced to almost 200 years in prison,” Dawson wrote. “Why is it that the two white people who actually committed the crimes got a lesser sentence and are now FREE than the one black man?”

Sharkey’s attorney wrote in court documents that there was no physical evidence to tie Sharkey directly to the shootings. He was near the shooting, records say, but there is no proof he is the person who shot the gun. Ballistic evidence from the gun also was contradictory, court records say.

Two witnesses came forward later and stated they lied on the stand during trial because detectives “pressured” them to give false statements against Sharkey, court documents say. One witness to the shooting told the Appeal that he believes Sharkey was unfairly sought by police because he was Black.

The state said in a motion to resentence Sharkey that his sentence no longer served the “interest of justice.” The court dismissed 19 of the 20 firearm enhancement charges, and Sharkey obtained credit for time served. The assault charges were not dismissed, and the underlying convictions for those charges remain in place. 

He was released from prison after 15 years on Nov. 11, 2024.

Facebook posts show Sharkey wanted to found a nonprofit called the Life After Life Foundation, to help people who have spent time in the prison system. Friends and family have set up a GoFundMe, referring to Sharkey as “a father, son, brother, uncle and friend.”

“He touched the lives of so many even though he kept to himself. We were so privileged to have him in our lives,” the post said. “We would just like to honor him in the best way possible.”

Editor’s note: This story has been updated to reflect that Sharkey still had first-degree assault convictions on his record.