Drive-by shooting in East Central Spokane injures two

A drive-by shooting in the East Central Neighborhood Monday left two people injured.

The shooting was less than a week after a 15-year-old boy was shot and killed at 3104 E. Fifth Ave., about seven blocks from Monday’s shooting. In that shooting, police arrested members of a gang called “Swavii.”

Swavii appeared in Spokane about two or three years ago, Spokane Police Department spokesperson Terry Preuninger said. Police don’t believe the gang has a member older than 20. Police classify the group as a local street gang, but they have affiliations with a larger, older gang on the West Coast, he said.

Preuninger could not say if Monday’s shooting involved the Swavii gang. Spokane police officers responded to reports of a shooting at about 5 p.m. in the area of East Fifth Avenue and South Altamont Street.

Multiple callers said two vehicles in the area were possibly exchanging gunfire, Spokane police said in a news release.

Two injured people were taken to the hospital and later contacted by Spokane police officers. Neither had life-threatening injuries.

Major Crimes Unit Detectives processed evidence on scene and spoke to involve people, police said. The Spokane Safe Streets Task Force is assisting on the investigation.

Anyone with information on the incident who has not already spoken to police can call Crime Check at (509) 456-2233 with incident No. 2020-20175640.

Spokesman-Review reporter Maggie Quinlan contributed to this report.