Homicide investigation underway after autopsy reveals man whose body was found in burnt RV died from gunshots

The man found dead inside an RV that burned near the Garland District earlier this month died from multiple gunshot wounds, the Spokane County Medical Examiner’s Office said Wednesday.

Dustin Burrows, 41, was found dead in an RV that caught fire on West Rockwell Avenue, just east of the intersection of Rockwell and Jefferson Street on March 6.

The medical examiner ruled Burrows’ death a homicide.

Spokane police detectives continue to investigate the death, said Julie Humphreys, a department spokesperson.

It’s likely the fire was set to cover up the homicide, Humphreys said.

Investigators have arrested one person in connection to the death, but Humphreys declined to release his name.

Neighbors said they heard “explosions” and multiple popping sounds that night.

Larry Schultz, who lives nearby where the RV burned, said the sounds he heard appeared “too weak” to be gunshots. He and another neighbor, David Rhodes, said perhaps the sound was ammunition exploding in the fire.

“It was going off sporadically,” Rhodes said.

Jacob Gates, another neighbor, said he was asleep when he heard what “sounded like a bunch of explosions.”

Marie Schultz, Larry Schultz’s wife, was one of many that called 911 that night. She said the RV was engulfed in flames.

Neighbors reported complaints about the RV to police several times prior to the incident. Gates and Rhodes said one of the complaints from neighbors was that the RV’s propane tanks were located in or near the street, creating a safety hazard for drivers. Rhodes said someone was living in the RV before the fire and shooting.

Police are asking anyone with information on the incident who hasn’t spoken with investigators to call Crime Check (509) 456-2233 with reference No. 2022-20037466.