Suspect in attempted murder has 19 felony convictions

A 32-year-old man has been arrested on an attempted murder charge in connection to a shooting in West Central Spokane. Forest J. Shields is accused of shooting a man in the neck and shoulder area on the morning of July 13 in the parking lot of the Daniels Apartments, 525 W. Sinto Ave. He was arrested Tuesday on a warrant filed late last week. Shields was driving a Dodge pickup that belonged to his girlfriend, records say, and had a passenger at the time of the shooting. The passenger told police he was trying to buy marijuana from Shields, but Shields didn’t want to do the deal in front of surveillance cameras. Shields parked in an adjacent alleyway, where a third man walked up to the truck. Shields and the man got into an argument, and the victim told Shields to get out of the truck; Shields got out of the driver’s seat, pulled a revolver from his waistband and immediately fired one shot at the victim, the passenger told police. There are surveillance cameras in the parking lot and police were able to see the shooting unfold. Another resident of the apartments identified the driver as Shields, also known by the street name “Face.” The truck was found later that day in the 2500 block of West Gardner Avenue. Police said Shields had given the revolver to his girlfriend. The victim did not have a weapon during the dispute, according to court records. He underwent surgery at Providence Sacred Heart Medical Center. Shields is expected to appear in Spokane County Superior Court this afternoon. He’s being held in the Spokane County Jail on a $500,000 bond. Shields has at least 19 felony convictions, including gun theft, second-degree assault and residential burglary, according to court records.