Downtown Spokane stabbing victim walks into store, receives aid

A man was stabbed in the neck in downtown Spokane on Tuesday evening.

Police said they believed the man was stabbed by someone he knew, but the victim was not initially cooperating with police, and little was known about the perpetrator besides a vague description.

Although the victim was alert when he left the scene by ambulance, Spokane police Lt. Matt Cowles said the injury may be serious because of its location.

The victim entered Boo Radley’s gift shop, 232 N. Howard St., about 5:30 p.m. asking to use a phone.

“He came in the door and it seemed like he was breathing funny,” said Becky Marshall, a Spokane resident who was Christmas shopping at Boo Radley’s with her children.

When he removed his hand from his neck, Marshall noticed his wound. She took off her sweater and used it to apply pressure to the laceration.

The victim initially was shaking, but he remained alert and conscious until he was taken away by an ambulance, Marshall said.

“He said he was walking through the park on his way home when a guy stabbed him in the neck,” Marshall said, adding the victim indicated that he knew the perpetrator. After the incident, Boo Radley’s workers gave her a hooded Boo Radley’s shirt to replace her sweater.

The stabber was described as a 6-foot, heavyset man wearing a sweater and backpack. Cowles said it wasn’t immediately clear where in the park the stabbing occurred. He said anyone who witnessed a scuffle or confrontation in Riverfront Park or near Howard Street and Spokane Falls Boulevard should call Crime Check at (509) 456-2233.

Cowles said police worked with park security officers on the case and were planning to check surveillance footage of the area.