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Six area law enforcement officers shot in last 14 months

FILE – Spokane police officers and a K-9 unit dog canvas the neighborhood on Graves Road on June 19, 2012. Charles. R. Wallace, who shot two Spokane County Sheriff deputies, had abandoned his SUV and fled the scene. He later shot himself on U.S. Highway 395 in Deer Park. (Colin Mulvany / The Spokesman-Review)
By Thomas Clouse tomc@spokesman.com(509) 459-5495

Shootouts have injured six police officers or deputies in the region since January 2017.

Two shooting incidents in the past week alone injured three police officers in Sandpoint and Coeur d’Alene. Here is a list of shootings that injured members of law enforcement in the area, with most occurring in North Idaho.

March 5: Two Sandpoint Police officers, Michael Hutter and Eric Clark, suffered gunshot wounds after responding at about 3:10 a.m. to a service call at the Ridley Village area. Police Chief Corey Coon said he expects both officers to make a full recovery. The shooting suspect, Brandon Kuhlman, was killed during the exchange of gunfire.

Feb. 27: Coeur d’Alene Police Officer Charles Hatley, who had graduated from the academy only two months prior, was shot through his duty belt by 34-year-old Curtis B. Ware, according to Police Chief Lee White. Hatley came out of surgery the night of the shooting and was released from the hospital on Friday. Officers returned fire and killed Ware.

March 6, 2017: Spokane County Sgt. Harold Whapeles was shot in the shoulder during a SWAT standoff in Colbert with Dean J. Bellamy. Whapeles had surgery on the shoulder and was expected to make full recovery. Bellamy, 47, died from a gunshot wound to the head and the shooting was ruled justified.

Jan. 16, 2017: Bonner County deputies Justin Penn and Michael Gagnow were shot as they tried to arrest Adam D. Foster in Blanchard, Idaho, on a misdemeanor warrant for battery, according to court records. Foster has yet to be tried.

May 5, 2015: Coeur d’Alene Police Sgt. Greg Moore was shot and killed when he encountered Jonathan D. Renfro, 29, in a residential neighborhood. A Kootenai County jury convicted Renfro last fall of first-degree murder and a jury in November sentenced him to death..

June 19, 2012: Spokane County detectives working with U.S. marshals, directed deputies Matt Spink and Mike Northway to pull over a Chevy Tahoe at Elm Road and North Newport Highway. Charles R. Wallace, 41, jumped out and shot both Spink and Northway, sparking a massive chase and manhunt that eventually ended when Wallace took his own life near Deer Park. Both Spink and Northway suffered serious injuries.

May 19, 2007: Jason Hamilton began firing at the police station in Moscow with a rifle. As officers approached, Hamilton shot Officer Lee Newbill. The bullet pierced Newbill’s body armor and killed him as Hamilton reportedly mocked him. Latah County Deputy Brannon Jordan fell off a vehicle trying to rescue Newbill and Jordan was shot in the back and the arm. He later recovered. The shooting also injured Idaho student Peter Husmann and killed church caretaker Paul Bauer. Hamilton was later found dead from an apparently self-inflicted gunshot wound.

Dec. 28, 2004: Kootenai County Sheriff’s Deputy Mike Kralicek was shot in the face during a shootout in Hayden, Idaho. Kralicek and two other deputies had responded to the home of 39-year-old Michael Madonna on a report of stolen beer kegs. Deputies handcuffed Madonna, who somehow escaped and ran inside. According to police reports, Madonna began shooting a .357 caliber handgun through his door and one of the bullets struck Kralicek in the jaw. He survived and has become an advocate for more pay for injured officers.