Spokane Valley hit-and-run ends in suicide

A hit-and-run crash in Spokane Valley on Saturday night ended in a suicide, the Spokane County Sheriff’s Office said in a news release.

Spokane Valley deputies responded to a reported hit-and-run around 11:10 p.m. on the 600 block of North Bowdish Road. Callers said a blue Dodge truck was crashing into cars and later into a mailbox. A neighbor who followed the truck called 911, the news release said.

The neighbor followed the truck to the intersection of North Van Marter Road and East Valleyway Avenue until the driver left the truck and started walking toward the neighbor. The driver then pulled out an “unknown object” from his pocket, so the neighbor backed away, according to the news release.

Law enforcement arrived to see the driver holding a gun to his head. According to the sheriff’s office, deputies were able to de-escalate the situation to where the driver placed the gun on the ground. The driver suddenly picked the gun back up, fled to the front of his truck and shot himself, the news release said. He died at the hospital.

The incident is under investigation, with assistance from the Spokane Police Department.