Colville retail worker killed Thursday morning by falling shelving

A 63-year-old retail worker in Colville was killed Thursday when a shelving unit fell on top of him.

Stevens County Coroner Lorrie Sampson said she was called to North 40 Outfitters on Main Street on the south side of the city at about 7:45 a.m. on a report of an accidental death.

She identified the deceased as Randy Rowland. An autopsy has been scheduled.

“All we know is that there was a very large shelving unit that toppled over and, kind of in a domino effect, took out another shelving unit,” Sampson said. “Both shelving units combined and came down on this man. They’re very heavy.”

A dispatcher at Colville Police Department confirmed they were investigating the death. An officer was not available for comment.

Drew Steinberger, the channel coordinator for the Great Falls-based retail chain, confirmed Rowland was a worker at the store, though he did not identify him by name. He said the Washington State Department of Labor & Industries is involved in the investigation.

A representative for Labor & Industries was not immediately available for comment.

As of Thursday afternoon, the gates to the business were closed and locked. Steinberger said the store would remain temporarily closed until the investigation is completed.

“We don’t know how long we’ll be closed,” he said.