Shooting near Lilac Torchlight Parade that resulted in two injured remains under investigation

Elena Perry, The Spokesman-Review, Spokane, Wash.
·2 min read

May 19—All parties involved in Saturday night's convenience store shooting along the Lilac Festival Armed Forces Torchlight Parade route are cooperating with law enforcement, according to a release from the Spokane Police Department.

Two people were hospitalized after the shooting, one of whom was shot after an altercation in PM Jacoy's convenience store near Washington Street and Sprague Avenue just before 9 p.m., while the parade was underway.

Spokane police Lt. Jay Kernkamp said Saturday the shooting posed no further threat to the public, prompting the parade to reroute after an approximately 30-minute pause.

An employee of the store who was present during the shooting and declined to be named said the shooting was made in self-defense, and no PM Jacoys' employees were injured. Detectives with the Spokane Police Major Crimes Unit are still investigating the shooting and will release more information as the investigation continues.

Police detained at least one person and interviewed witnesses, police Spokeswoman Julie Humphreys said. She declined to confirm whether the suspect was released from custody.

Police were stationed throughout the parade route, the release said, as is standard public safety protocol during large gatherings. This allowed police to respond to the shooting within seconds, immediately providing medical care.

"Maintaining calm and public safety were a top priority throughout the course of the incident," a release from the Spokane Lilac Festival Association read. "The SFLA and (Spokane Police Department) work in collaboration throughout the year to ensure that the Torchlight Parade is ready and prepared for all situations."

After securing the scene and "careful consideration," police and parade officials decided to reroute the procession around the scene and continue the parade after the half-hour pause.

Some paradegoers decided to withdraw, others continued and police ensured a safe finish, wrote festival co-presidents Carly Cortright and Elisabeth Hooker in a statement.

"We would like to thank everyone who stayed to support those participants," the statement read.

Elena Perry's work is funded in part by members of the Spokane community via the Community Journalism and Civic Engagement Fund. This story can be republished by other organizations for free under a Creative Commons license. For more information on this, please contact our newspaper's managing editor.