Alleged gang members arrested in shooting that killed 15-year-old boy

Spokane police on Friday arrested both suspects in the drive-by shooting that killed a 15-year-old Thursday.

Police first arrested Elijah Davis, 20, on suspicion of attempted murder after he told them he was driving the car from which bullets were fired, according to a Spokane Police Department news release.

Around 4 p.m., they arrested a 16-year-old fellow Swave gang member suspected of firing the handgun that shot through the fence at 3104 east Fifth Avenue, with the bullet striking 15-year-old Norvell Amos in the head and killing him. Police booked him into jail on suspicion of first-degree murder and drive-by shooting, according to the Spokane Police Department .

Julie Humphreys, a spokesperson for the Spokane Police Department, said police had detained several more people in connection with the incident after locating them at the Apple Tree Inn. The four other males were released , according to the press release. In a search of the hotel room, police found a loaded Glock handgun with an extended 22-round magazine. The investigation is ongoing.

Amos’ parents told police that members of the Swave gang had been harassing and threatening the boy and his 13-year-old brother, according to court records. Two days before the shooting, a pair of Swave members had driven by in a gray Chevrolet Impala with guns out the window “attempting to intimidate” Amos into joining the gang, Amos’ father told police.

At least one Spokane detective had been aware of a dispute between Amos and some of his friends in the gang, of which Davis is a known member, records say.

Surveillance video from the Fresh Soul restaurant across from Amos’ house showed a 2003 Volkswagen Passat and its license plate, registered to Davis’ mother, pass during the shooting.

At the location of the shooting, police found 10 mm shell casings with two different head stamps. Later, they obtained a gun and magazine they believed belong to the 16-year-old suspected shooter. The magazine had the same stamps as some shell casings at the scene, court records say.

Police detained Davis during a traffic stop and took him to the Gardner Avenue detective building. There, he reportedly waived his right to remain silent and admitted he’d been the driver. He told police he didn’t know the passenger’s name who fired shots, didn’t know his passenger would fire his weapon, and that it was “sheer coincidence” that he drove by Amos’ house, the court records say.

Police found a Facebook photo of Davis and the 16-year-old suspect together posted in August 2020. After looking at several Facebook photos of the younger suspect, Davis identified the boy as his passenger, according to the records.

Davis admitted to knowing Amos lived at 3104 East Fifth Ave. and that he’d had “previous issues” with the residents of that house, the records say.

After his passenger fired, Davis told police he sped away and dropped him off. Police asked Davis why he hadn’t called authorities and “he basically indicated that he had just decided not to,” the records say.

When police told Davis he was under arrest on suspicion of first-degree murder, he said he “didn’t want to go to jail for something” his passenger did. He then told police he knew the passenger’s name and identified him as the 16-year-old, according to the documents.

Police booked Davis on suspicion of first-degree murder and drive-by shooting. He’s being held on a $1 million bond.