A 46-year-old Spokane man died Friday morning after he fired a gun at police officers who were responding to a threat call on the city’s South Hill.

The name of the suspect is being withheld until release by the Spokane County Medical Examiner’s Office.  His autopsy was scheduled for 10:30 a.m.

Spokane police were dispatched to a home in the 4100 block of East Thirty-Sixth about 6 a.m. when a neighbor of the complainant called him and warned him that the suspect had driven up and was outside his house.

The complainant and suspect reportedly have been in an ongoing dispute over some firearms and the suspect had previously made threats against the complainant.

The complainant told 911 that he believed the suspect was armed.  He also stated that he had guns in his home and had armed himself.  Because of the elevating nature of the call, sheriff’s deputies began responding to assist.

As officers arrived at the scene and approached the house, the suspect began firing at one of them.  That officer retreated and returned fire.  The suspect was struck and collapsed in the yard of the complainant’s home.

The suspect was restrained and then treated by paramedics, but was pronounced dead at a downtown hospital shortly afterward.

Because the shooting was officer-involved, the Critical Incident Protocol was invoked and the sheriff’s office became the lead agency in the investigation.  However, both SPD and Washington State Patrol detectives were assisting in the investigation.

A canvas of the neighborhood revealed no one but the suspect was struck during the exchange of gunfire.  Thirty-Sixth was blocked off with crime scene tape and closed for several hours while detectives processed the scene and collected evidence.

Crime Check operators have received numerous complaints recently about suspicious men going door-to-door and either representing themselves as Avista Utilities employees or behaving in a manner contrary to what you might expect from a bona fide sales representative.

Residents in the Spokane Valley have reported men coming to their doors and asking to come inside to check the home’s insulation.  The men carry no identification and have implied in some cases that they are Avista Utilities employees.  Their demeanor has prompted some to call police. 

Avista says they have no one going door-to-door.

In fact, the men are salesmen for Rocky Mountain Insulation of Pocatello, Idaho.  The insulation services they sell “may” qualify homeowners for an Avista or federal tax rebate.

Law enforcement professionals encourage all residents to know who they are allowing inside their homes.  Asking for company identification is a good start. Prior to allowing any sales person inside your home, conceal purses, wallets, checkbooks and other easy-to-steal items of value. 

Better yet… If you didn't initiate a call for insulation services or any other type of sales call, dont let anyone in your house. 

An 89-year-old Spokane Valley woman was nearly bilked out of $2,500 Wednesday by a con man who told her he was checking employees at a Spokane financial institution to “see if they were handling her account correctly.”

The woman told a crime check operator that the suspect called her and asked what her balance was.  She gave a number and the suspect requested she write a check for $2,500 and deliver it to a man waiting at a nearby grocery store.

The man’s name was “Meyers,” and she was to hand him the check.  The intended-victim said she was preparing to leave with the check when it occurred to her to call the bank.  Employees there quickly prevented the attempted fraud. The woman told Crime Check that the suspect had told her that they had cameras on her house and that she was not to tell anyone about the “investigation.”

Children of elderly parents should talk to them about potential fraud suspects who may try to bilk them out of their savings or property.  Persons in their 70’s and older grew up in an age where people were more trusting in others, and the elderly frequently fall prey to this type of con.

Thieves pay particular attention to published obituaries seeking elderly widows or widowers that they can target for scams.  For this motive, children of elderly parents should urge them to discuss any requests for money or checks from anyone they do not personally know.

 An off-duty Spokane police officer recognized a black Nissan Pathfinder that pulled out in front of him as being stolen after he had taken the report earlier in the day while on duty.  Officer Glenn Bartlett contacted police dispatch and continued to follow the vehicle to the Shadle Wal-Mart parking lot.   .

Officers arrvied and placed the driver, Christal N. Helsley, 36, under arrest for Possession of a Stolen Vehicle.

Since February 25th, there has been an increase in stolen vehicle activity in the area of 12th Ave and South Ivory St.  Several vehicles have been stolen from and recovered in a six mile radius of that location, including the Nissan Pathfinder recovered by Officer Bartlett.

Over his last five day work week, which ended yesterday, Officer Bartlett has recovered nine stolen vehicles.  Bartlett’s patrol car is equipped with two cameras and an automatic license-plate recognition system allowing him to scan vehicle license plates and compare it against a nationwide database of stolen vehicles, allowing him to recover stolen cars faster.

While this does give Spokane Police Department another tool to assist them with stolen vehicles, citizens can still take precautions when leaving their vehicles unattended to avoid having their vehicle become a target.

• Secure Your Vehicle – park in a locked garage or well lit area, lock your doors, don’t leave the engine running unattended.
• Sterilize Your Vehicle – avoid leaving anything of value in plain sight inside the vehicle.
• Anti-Theft Devices – clubs, alarm systems