Man killed, Spokane County sheriff’s deputy who shot him identified

The man killed by a Spokane County sheriff’s deputy on Friday has been identified as 25-year-old Clando Anitok.

Brent C. Miller was identified as the deputy who shot Anitok.

Miller attempted to stop Anitok’s car at North Wall Street and West Weile Avenue. When Anitok didn’t stop, the deputy pursued the car as it turned south on Post Street, according to a sheriff’s office statement.

Anitok crashed his car into the fence of a nearby home before exiting the vehicle and walking toward Miller, the statement said.

When Anitok didn’t follow Miller’s commands, the deputy attempted to deploy his Taser, which did not work.

Miller chased Anitok on foot into the house’s backyard, where the sheriff’s office says Anitok turned toward the deputy and reached into his waistband.

Miller shot Anitok once. He was pronounced dead at the scene.

Investigators did not recover any weapons from the scene, according to a news release.

The Spokane County Medical Examiner listed Anitok’s cause of death as a gunshot wound to the head.

In 2016, Anitok was charged with attempted rape and strangulation and burglarizing an acquaintance. The charges were dropped in 2017, but the reason is unclear in court documents. The most recent prosecutor on the case, Eugene Cruz, did not immediately return a request for comment.

Anitok was also charged in 2017 with 10 counts of violating a no-contact order.

Miller was hired by the Spokane County Sheriff’s Office in August of 2014 and works in the downtown precinct patrol division. He first volunteered as a reserve deputy in spring 2013 and is now a sheriff’s office instructor.

The Spokane Investigative Regional Response Team has taken over the investigation into the deputy-involved shooting.