SPOKANE, Wash. — A man was shot by police in downtown Spokane Monday afternoon. He is suspected of brandishing a knife at people.
Lauren D’Arienzo, owner of Soulful Soups, locked the door and asked guests to get away from the window when the shooting was happening.
“I dislike it,” D’Arienzo said. “It feels unsafe.”
Around noon, police responded to a call from a Department of Corrections officer saying the man he supervises was suicidal and armed with a knife at Riverside Avenue and Howard Street.
“He displayed the knife,” Spokane Police interim chief Justin Lundgren said. “He held the knife up towards one individual’s throat, and then he also displayed the knife and backed another individual down the block.”
Police say the suspect held a knife up to two people before officers arrived.
Spokane police shoot suspect armed with a knife in downtown Spokane
According to SPD, three officers deployed tasers on the suspect, and soon after that, two officers shot the suspect. Police say officers shot at least four to five rounds at the suspect.