Police: Officers shoot, kill man after he held knife to infant

Jan. 24—Spokane police officers shot and killed a man after they say he held a knife to an infant's throat Monday afternoon.

Spokane police Chief Craig Meidl said the infant was uninjured in the incident that happened on the 2400 block of East Desmet Avenue.

The man, whose name and age was not yet released, was treated at the hospital where he died of his injuries, Meidl said.

Police responded after a woman called at 12:48 p.m. and said she believed her child had been killed, Meidl said.

When officers arrived the suspect was holding a knife to the infant's neck, and two officers fired their weapons to end the threat, Meidl said.

As of 2:30 p.m. Monday, Meidli said, it was too early to say whether drugs or alcohol played a role. Investigators believe domestic violence was a factor, he said.

It was also too early to know what relationship the suspect had to the caller or the infant, Meidl said.

"I need to stress this is all preliminary information, obviously subject to change. We're at the very beginning stages of this investigation," Meidl said.

The Spokane County Sheriff's Office and Washington State Patrol were also on scene, Meidl said. The 2400 block of Desmet was closed for several hours amid the investigation.

Meidl said he did not believe the infant would be taken into Child Protective Services.