Victim Was Shot In Head, Execution-Style, Says Coroner

The victim of a Thursday morning shooting in northeast Spokane was gunned down in an execution-style killing, an autopsy showed.

Chris O. Gongyin, 20, died from a single gunshot wound to the back of the head inside a bedroom of his home at 1903 N. Regal.

Coroner Dexter Amend said the bullet was from a medium-caliber gun.

No arrests had been made in the case as of Friday, but police were looking for at least two suspects.

Neighbors said they suspected Gongyin was selling drugs from his home because, for months, he had a stream of visitors day and night, many of whom stayed only a short time.

Detectives did not say what the motive might have been, or whether any drugs were found in the search.

Gongyin’s death is the 10th homicide in the city in 1996, and comes after Spokane set a record for murders in 1995 with 24 killings.

He had been well known to police over the years, racking up a long list of juvenile arrests. Court records dating back to the early 1990s show charges for drugs, burglary, theft, malicious mischief, vehicle hit and run and child molestation.

Since he turned 18, he had stayed out of trouble with the law, said police spokesman Dick Cottam.

Gongyin had a wife and 13-month-old child living with him. They were home when the killing occurred. His wife reported the shooting to police, and told officers Gongyin apparently allowed the killers into the home and then got into an argument before the bullet was fired.

A longtime friend, William Depriest, said Gongyin in recent years had tried to change his life. Depriest said he was not aware of any drug activity in the home.

, DataTimes