Man accused in north Spokane shooting sentenced for illegally having gun; assault, drug charges dismissed

A 36-year-old man originally charged with shooting another man this spring in north Spokane was sentenced last month to unlawfully possessing a gun, while the court dismissed the assault and drug charges against him.

Spokane County Superior Court Judge Annette Plese sentenced Steven M. Perry to 51/2 years in prison for first-degree unlawful possession of a firearm, according to court documents. Perry, a convicted felon, pleaded guilty to the charge, while a first-degree assault charge for the alleged shooting and two counts of possession of a controlled substance with intent to deliver were dropped.

The sentence was the midpoint of the 57- to 75-month standard sentencing range.

The sentencing stems from a May 20 shooting that left 44-year-old Francisco Gutierrez with two gunshot wounds in a parking lot on the 6300 block of North Howard Street, just north of Francis Avenue, according to court documents.

Justin Anderson told deputies he drove Gutierrez to the lot to take a BMW 330 sedan from Perry for a debt that was owed, documents said.

Anderson said Gutierrez exited the vehicle Anderson was driving and approached the BMW when Perry started shooting at Gutierrez with a rifle.

Gutierrez ran through a nearby bank parking lot and got into the vehicle Anderson was driving, and the two went to Providence Holy Family Hospital, according to documents. He was transferred to Providence Sacred Heart Medical Center, where Ariana Lake, a spokesperson at the hospital, said Gutierrez was treated and released.

Authorities arrested Perry 12 days later after a brief standoff with officers at a North Market Street apartment, according to a Spokane County Sheriff’s Office news release.

Perry’s criminal history includes robbery, theft, forgery, possession of stolen property and assault charges, documents said.