The suspect in a brazen shooting in Spangle that killed two civilians and a Spokane County sheriff’s deputy was Ryan T. Larsen, a 37-year-old man with a history of weapons violations and eluding police.
Another deputy was injured in the shooting and is not expected to survive.
While officials have not identified the shooter, The Spokesman-Review was able to learn Larsen’s identity through interviews and public records.
Those documents show Larsen lived at 18819 S. Smythe Road in Spangle, where the shooting occurred. Larsen also died at the scene, but it has not been disclosed if he killed himself or was killed by deputies in an exchange of gunfire.
Law enforcement responded to the Smythe Road home west of U.S. Highway 195 at about 2:25 p.m. after a woman had run to her neighbor’s house claiming her brother shot her, Spokane County Sheriff John Nowels told reporters during a Tuesday night news conference.
The woman was taken to a hospital with non-lifethreatening injuries.
Deputies launched a drone and first discovered a body in the yard, Nowels said. Deputies still believed there was an active threat inside the home, however. They approached at about 3:15 p.m. and attempted to break down the door, but were immediately met with gunfire, Nowels said. After three deputies returned fire, they found an additional victim on the floor.
A felony warrant for Larsen’s arrest out of Spokane County is from Feb. 6, according to court records. He also has court history in Whitman County.
Court records say a Spokane Valley deputy was working in the area of East Appleway Avenue and South Vista Road last year when he observed a truck driving 14 mph over the speed limit. The deputy activated his emergency lights, but the driver did not stop, records show. The chase continued to Dishman Mica Road where the driver sped through a red light.
The deputy ran the plate and checked Larsen’s record, where he found he had two warrants for weapons offenses, according to court documents.
Whitman County records show Larsen was accused of pointing a gun at someone on his property in Rosalia in 2015. A pedestrian reported he was walking his dog near Larsen’s home and the dog pooped in the yard. The pedestrian stopped to pick up the dog poop and a man, identified as Larsen, yelled at the pedestrian to get off his property and pointed a revolver at him.
Larsen admitted to having three weapons at the time, records show – a .357 Magnum, a long rifle and a shotgun. Police took those weapons for “public safety,” according to court records.
The suspect was charged with second-degree assault, but his attorney claimed the charge was not specific enough and filed for the case to be dismissed. Larsen was instead convicted of aiming or discharging a firearm and spent 10 days in jail. He appealed his conviction and sentence, but the appeal was dismissed in 2022. Larsen has a failure to appear warrant related to the case.
Law enforcement and the Spokane County Medical Examiner’s Office have yet to disclose the names of the victims involved in the Tuesday shooting.
Source: www.spokesman.com
