Man arrested for Spokane Valley homicide

A suspect was arrested today in Spokane Valley for the May 12 shooting death of a 44-year-old man. Shane Caleb Smith, 38, is accused of murdering Warren Scott Flinn, who was found badly injured May 13. Flinn died May 16 at a local hospital of what the medical examiner’s office ruled were gunshots to his head. Details on what led detectives to identify Smith as a suspect were not immediately available. Detectives and forensic specialists searched a home at 6704 E. 3rd Ave., Tuesday after Smith was arrested there. “The detectives did an outstanding job,” said Deputy Craig Chamberlin, spokesman for the Spokane County Sheriff’s Office. “They’ve been working nonstop following up on all leads.” Investigators believe Flinn is a transient, but court records show he lived at an address on South Audubon Street until as early as September. He also spent time in Florida and California, where he has felony convictions for burglary. Volunteers at an organization that helps homeless people in the West Central Neighborhood said Flinn approached them a couple weeks ago asking for money for a bus ticket out of town because he feared for his safety. Smith’s criminal history includes convictions for drunken driving, second-degree malicious mischief, obstructing a law enforcement officer, residential burglary and second-degree escape, according to news archives.