Newman Lake homeowner cleared after fatal shooting

A Newman Lake homeowner did nothing wrong when he shot his girlfriend’s ex to death after the irate man showed up at his house with loaded guns last month, according to prosecutors.

Spokane County prosecutors said Tuesday that no criminal charges will be filed against Doug Snarski, 55, for the homicide of Sean Parsons on May 13.

Parsons, 43, was armed with a shotgun, handgun and an ammunition-stocked belt when he entered Snarski’s home early that morning and said he planned to kill everyone.

Snarski called 911 and left the phone on as the confrontation with Parsons ensued. Dispatchers heard the gunfire that killed Parsons.

“There’s no surviving this. You’re dead,” Parsons told Snarski, according to a recording of the call released Tuesday. “There’s nothing you can do.”

The recording begins with Snarski yelling at Parsons to leave after Parsons apparently fired a shotgun.

“Two shots with a shotgun is enough!” Snarski said.

Parsons refused to leave and repeatedly swore at Snarski.

“I’m going to kill you, and I’m going to … kill her,” Parsons said.

Parsons later yelled about a restraining order Snarski’s girlfriend had obtained against him recently.

Christina Lewis, 51, dated Parsons for several years.

Snarski said he called 911 and crouched on the floor at the top of his stairs as Parsons yelled at him to show his face from the lower floor. Parsons can be heard firing a shot about two minutes into the call, then telling Snarski he had 87 other rounds waiting for him.

Snarski again urged him to leave.

“Sean, stop and think about this. You’re making a mistake,” Snarski said.

About 2 1/2 minutes into the call, three gunshots rang out. “I told you you were making a mistake!” Snarski yelled at Parsons.

Snarski said he fired at Parsons as soon as he reached the top of the stairs. Lewis then got on the phone to talk to a dispatcher, who had been asking if anyone was on the line throughout the 3-minute confrontation.

“I’ve heard everything,” the dispatcher told Lewis. He asked who had been shot.

Snarski can be heard in the background saying, “Yes I shot him … he put bullet holes in my … house.”

Snarski said he was told by law enforcement Tuesday that he can get his gun back, which was being held as evidence. Snarski has a concealed weapons permit and bought the gun a couple years ago. He said he’d never fired it before the May 13 confrontation.

Law enforcement said from the beginning that Snarski acted in self-defense and no charges were expected.

“They made the comment that it was one of the easiest cases they ever had to do,” Snarski said Tuesday.

Snarski said he and Lewis are doing well, but he’s still working to get his house back in order. Bullet holes in walls are being patched, and new carpet is to be installed today.

He said he wasn’t surprised to hear Tuesday that prosecutors had cleared him of wrongdoing, but it was still a relief.

“You know you’re innocent, but you just want to hear those words,” he said.