Monroe Street shooting could stem from ‘drug activity,’ police say

A 37-year-old man shot his brother last week outside a Spokane gas station because the brother allegedly stole $90,000, according to a witness account in court documents.

The witness told police Andrew J. Dunnagan shot his brother, 32-year-old Charles Manchester, the afternoon of Aug. 8 near the 76 gas station on Monroe Street and Mansfield Avenue.

The witness, a woman, said Dunnagan was driving a silver Audi when they located Manchester near the intersection, according to search warrant documents filed in Spokane County Superior Court. The woman, who was a passenger in the Audi, told police Dunnagan had been looking for Manchester for a while.

She said Dunnagan pulled in front of a 2020 Chevrolet Silverado, occupied by Manchester, and blocked him in. Dunnagan, who had a handgun in his waistband, jumped out of the car and onto the truck foot rails, yelling at Manchester who was in the truck.

Manchester started rolling up the driver’s window and Dunnagan pistol whipped him, she told police. At one point, she heard about three shots and watched Dunnagan shoot Manchester.

She told police Manchester put the truck in reverse and crashed into a parked vehicle. Dunnagan held onto the truck for a bit before hopping off.

Another witness told a detective she was outside talking to Manchester while Manchester and another person sat in the truck. She said she heard Manchester say something like, “That’s a nice Audi,” in reference to an approaching vehicle.

She saw the Audi quickly approaching them. A white man with a “scruffy” face and curly hair got out of the car holding a black handgun, she told police.

She heard the man ask, “Do you want to die (expletive),” and approached Manchester sitting in the truck. She said she fled when she heard a “pop,” according to documents.

Manchester also identified Dunnagan as the shooter. Manchester was taken to a local hospital where he had surgery for his injuries, police wrote in documents.

Spokane police spokeswoman Julie Humphreys said last week Manchester was shot twice and was expected to recover.

Inside the Silverado, police found one spent 9 mm shell casing, three cellphones, a wad of cash and what appeared to be large crystals similar to crystal methamphetamine, documents say.

“From the initial information and the observed cash and suspected illegal substances it is possible this is related to drug activity,” police said in documents.

Meanwhile, the passenger in the Audi told police they fled the scene at a high rate of speed after the fired shots and went to a man’s residence on the corner of Washington Street and Montgomery Avenue. She said Dunnagan got out of the car and told her to take it to a Spokane Valley residence where a man there would know what to do with the vehicle, court records show.

The woman said she was scared and headed to the Spokane Valley house to hide the Audi when she crashed the car near 15th Avenue and Freya Street after a Fish and Wildlife officer turned his emergency lights on.

Police wrote in documents the woman ran from the abandoned vehicle. A police detective found the woman running in the area and detained her.

Police units responded that afternoon to the Washington Street address, 2225 N. Washington St., where Dunnagan had been seen entering, documents say.

SWAT, hostage negotiators and drones also responded to remove the suspect, according to a Spokane police news release. Multiple people were detained, but the primary suspect was not located.

Police continue to investigate.