Shooting investigation turns up little so far

Despite comments on social media that two people were shot in Delano around 10:30 p.m. Sept. 16 — including a woman who said she was a family member of the victim or victims — police responding to multiple 911 calls from neighbors reporting gunshots were not able to identify any victims, nor any physical signs that anyone had been shot.

However, Grand Coulee’s outgoing interim police chief told The Star in a text message Sept. 16 that “there is a suspect” and he confirmed there were two victims. He did not name them, but characterized both as “fairly uncooperative in the investigation.” Interim chief Levi Johnson’s last day with the department is Sept. 25.

At this point, the information about the incident remains unclear, as does the status of the investigation. The Star contacted multiple people who participated in an online social media discussion thread about the apparent shootings, but no one agreed to talk to a reporter for this story. Grand Coulee Mayor Ruth Dalton did not respond to The Star’s request for a comment last week.

Official

Report

Responding Grand Coulee Officer Andrew Kline requested “that the case be marked INACTIVE pending further developments” in his report from the incident after conducting interviews with several neighbors in the vicinity of Alcan Road and Spokane Boulevard.

Two Coulee Dam police officers were in the area and heard the shots firsthand, according to Kline’s report. Two Grant County deputies also responded.

“No one had actually seen a person with a gun (or an apparent victim),” Kline wrote, “although, the consensus seemed to be that ten to fifteen rounds were discharged (by someone in the area).”

One commenter in the Grand Coulee Area Community Announcement Board group on Facebook said she “heard the shots both times from my place….also heard the yelling after and watched the vehicles speed off, I’m guessing they headed to the hospital.”

However, according to Kline’s report, a nurse on shift at Coulee Medical Center said no one had come to the emergency room related to the circumstances. The Grant County deputy operated a “heat-seeking drone” to search for a victim, but concluded the search finding none.

The area known as Delano falls partially within Grand Coulee city limits but also includes unincorporated Grant County. Depending on where the gun or guns were fired, it may not even be a crime, Kline noted, as discharging a firearm is legal in the unincorporated county area. 

“We were unable to establish probable cause that any particular person had committed a crime,” Kline wrote in his report. “The primary objective was ensuring that everyone was safe; it appeared that everyone was. Nonetheless, it [is] unacceptable that someone decided to shoot a firearm within (or around) the neighborhood. At the very least, it created a disturbance.” 

For those who allude to knowing more but are saying little, the event was more than a disturbance.

One commenter who identified as one of the victims’ relatives called it “a private matter” and said “how it happened has shocked the family members.”  

“All I can say is that things need to be better done in the communities n safe again,” she wrote.

“Absolutely devastating,” wrote another commenter, who said he knew about what happened because “I talk to my neighbors.”

“Both lived,” he wrote, “but two were shot.”

Correction:

Last week’s issue stated the shooting occurred in the early hours of Sept. 17. In fact it had happened late on the night of Sept. 16. Also, The Star incorrectly reported that GCPD Interim Chief Levi Johnson was one of the responding officers at the scene. This was based on incorrect information provided by the city. The responding officers were Andrew Kline and Colin Hopper of Grand Coulee PD, Mathew Ponusky and Joshua Watkins of Coulee Dam PD, and Christopher McClanahan and Sarah Bradshaw of Grant County Sheriff’s Office.