‘The craziest thing that’s happened’: Spokane police respond to five reported shootings in two hours Monday night, one injured

Spokane police responded to five reports of shootings Monday night in less than two hours, with one woman seriously injured and a swath of neighborhood residents left unsettled.

At 10:37 p.m., police received multiple reports of shots fired near Helena Street and Dalton Avenue in northeast Spokane, according to a news release from the Spokane Police Department.

Police arrived to find a parked car with multiple bullet holes and other evidence of a shooting. No victims were located, and no one believed to be involved was on scene when police arrived.

One of the bullets apparently struck the back window of a gray 1994 Mazda B4000 pickup truck and then passed through the front windshield of the vehicle. The truck belongs to former Spokane City Councilman Mike Fagan, who was on his computer inside his Dalton Avenue home when he heard multiple shots fired.

“I could actually feel the walls reverberating from the shock waves of the handgun,” said Fagan, who served on the City Council for eight years before losing a bid for City Council president in 2019.

He said police arrived within one minute of the gunshots.

Fagan said drive-by shootings are out of the norm in the neighborhood, where he’s lived more than 30 years.

“We are really quiet here,” he said.

Another neighbor, Dana Marsh, expressed differing views. He said four or five gunshots woke him up, and he rolled over and went back to sleep.

“It’s not real uncommon to have drive-bys here, unfortunately,” Marsh said.

In the second incident, police responded at 11:13 p.m. to the 1900 block of West Knox Avenue after callers reported hearing shots. Another unoccupied parked car was found shot multiple times. Investigators found evidence of at least a dozen shots fired. No one involved in the shooting remained on scene, police said.

At least 12 bullet holes could be seen Tuesday afternoon in a blue Cadillac XTS parked on the 1900 block of Knox.

Gillian Beebee, who lives across the street from the residence, said she and her roommate were watching television when she heard about a dozen shots. She said she saw a dark-colored hatchback tear off as three or four more shots came from inside the vehicle, adding that she saw muzzle flashes from the gun.

“It’s just crazy,” Beebee said. “I’ve been living here for two years. My neighbor’s been living here for 20. This is definitely the craziest thing that’s happened.”

Other neighbors reported similar events.

Kristin Deras said she heard multiple shots and then saw a car speeding away.

William Simpson said he heard seven to nine shots and then the roaring of a car engine.

Alex Fiman said the shots sounded like someone knocking on his door, while his girlfriend figured they were gunshots.

“I’m like, ‘Dang, that actually happened?’ That’s crazy,’’ Fiman said.

Meanwhile, at about 11:40 p.m., multiple callers reported a shot fired on the 1300 block of East Sanson Avenue. Officers responded but didn’t find evidence of a shooting.

At 11:58 p.m., a caller said someone had been shot at a home on the 1600 block of East Dalton Avenue, near where the first shooting was reported.

A woman with multiple gunshot wounds was taken to a nearby hospital with serious injuries. Witnesses told police that shooters walked into the home and fired about 20 rounds inside, police said. There were multiple small children and adults in the home at the time.

Lastly, at 12:18 a.m., five to six shots were reported on the 1300 block of West Alice Avenue. Officers responded and found no evidence of a shooting.

The shootings, along with any possible connection between the incidents, are under investigation. Police spokesperson Julie Humphreys said Tuesday officers “are busy with the investigation” and would not provide further updates.

Humphreys said the police’s new Violent Crime Task Force, which Mayor Nadine Woodward and police Chief Craig Meidl discussed last week at the mayor’s State of the City address, is training and has not taken effect yet.

She said the task force will be proactive in getting prolific offenders, especially those carrying guns illegally, off the street.

Anyone with information on any of the incidents is asked to call Crime Check at (509) 456-2233.