Sheriff’s office says man threatened to kill his mother before Moran Prairie standoff; neighbors praise police for keeping them safe

The man arrested after a Moran Prairie standoff Thursday night threatened to kill his mother the day before the incident that led to a group of students being locked down as law enforcement swarmed the neighborhood and exchanged gunfire with the suspect.

KHQ identified the suspect through court documents as Jeremy Bausch. Bausch was also listed as the owner of the house at 5509 S. Glenrose Road where the standoff happened.

The 49-year-old was taken to a local hospital for serious but not life-threatening wounds, according to a Spokane County Sheriff’s Office news release. It’s unclear how he was hurt. No one else was injured.

The “active scene” at the standoff trapped children inside nearby Moran Prairie Elementary School as the sheriff’s office ordered lockdowns, but the children were released to their parents after Bausch was arrested.

Ryan Lancaster with Spokane Public Schools said in an email that “a small number of people” had been inside the elementary school for Cub Scouts and YMCA basketball.

It all started around 11:35 p.m. Wednesday, when the sheriff’s office said deputies went to assist mental health professionals who were trying to apprehend Bausch because he threatened to kill his mother.

Bausch said through a house window that he did not believe deputies on scene were law enforcement, according to Sheriff John Nowels. Nowels said deputies illuminated themselves with a flashlight to show they were deputies. Bausch then brandished a handgun and pointed it at deputies, who took cover.

“In the interest of safety and knowing that there was no one currently inside the residence other than the suspect, they decided it would be safest to de-escalate the situation and leave,” Nowels said.

On Thursday morning, detectives developed probable cause to arrest Bausch on suspicion of two counts of second-degree assault for his alleged actions Wednesday night.

In an effort to avoid a “lethal confrontation,” detectives secured a search warrant for the residence to recover the firearm he allegedly pointed at deputies. Nowels said detectives also developed probable cause to charge Bausch on suspicion of second-degree robbery domestic violence.

Nowels said deputies, some of whom were undercover, surveilled the residence Thursday to make sure Bausch did not do anything to endanger neighbors or others. Later, he drove to a South Hill grocery store while deputies continued to watch him.

Bausch threatened people at the grocery store, got back into his car and headed back home, Nowels said. He said deputies determined it was unsafe to allow him to go inside the house.

“When we confronted the subject at his residence, gunfire was exchanged,” Nowels said. “The subject retreated into the house.”

Nowels said he did not know who fired first.

After several hours and multiple unsuccessful attempts to contact him, SWAT team members entered the residence and found Bausch, who did not comply with commands despite being wounded, the sheriff’s office said. Deputies used “less-lethal chemical irritants,” and he exited the home. Bausch allegedly refused to follow commands, so deputies hit him with a stun gun and arrested him.

No one else was inside the residence during the standoff, Nowels said.

“We were spending a tremendous amount of time today trying to go through the number of different ways that we could get the subject into custody without having this type of a confrontation,” Nowels said Thursday night. “When the subject left the house, was threatening other people in the public, he obviously changed the dynamic and forced our hand into that confrontation, and we could no longer safely just let him roam about the public.”

On Friday night, investigators could be seen processing the scene. South Glenrose Frontage Road was cordoned off by red and yellow crime scene tape and orange traffic cones, a stark contrast to Thursday night when law enforcement blocked several roads in the area.

Multiple windows on the front of the home were shattered.

Neighbors said they heard gunshots and law enforcement asking over a loudspeaker for Bausch to surrender peacefully during the standoff. Some neighbors stayed inside, while others fled. Several neighbors commended law enforcement for keeping residents safe.

Evan Shustoff and his wife, Daisy, were having dinner Thursday night when they heard “pop, pop, pop,” Evan Shustoff said.

Thinking it was fireworks, he said his wife went to the window to see which neighbors were using them . Daisy Shustoff said she heard yelling and more of the same noises, which turned out to be gunshots.

“I was like, OK, this is definitely not fireworks, so we pretty much grabbed our babies and left,” she said, noting their young children.

The Shustoffs said law enforcement officers, with the couple’s permission, entered their home and climbed on their roof to monitor Bausch. They said police left them a thank-you note.

“It was wild,” Daisy Shustoff said of the incident.

Colleen Hollinger, another neighbor, said she was worried at first and did not know what was happening. When they realized shots were fired, she and her partner got their children away from the windows.

She said they felt safe once they knew law enforcement surrounded Bausch’s home.

Hollinger and another nearby couple, Toby Fouch and Marchand Bozarth, praised police for their efforts.

“We thought they did a great job and we felt safe,” Fouch said.

Fouch and Bozarth said they heard someone on a loudspeaker telling Bausch he was under arrest and surrounded. Meanwhile, they had dinner and watched movies. At one point, the couple stood on their back patio for about 15 minutes to take in the action outside.

Apart from those related to his warrant, it’s unclear what charges Bausch will face.

The Spokane Independent Investigative Response Team will investigate the deputy shooting, and the sheriff’s office will identify the law enforcement officers who shot at Bausch.