SPOKANE, Wash – Eric Kessler said his life will never be the same after police said his brother, 47-year-old Thomas Hatch, was allegedly shot by 36-year-old Hoyt Webb in downtown Spokane on Friday.
“It’s too real, it’s too fresh, and it does hurt,” said Kessler.
Kessler described his half-brother as a man with a big heart who struggled with addiction and has been homeless for about a year, “it’s more than an addiction. It’s more of a disease.”
Kessler said he saw the video Webb posted online and described it as heartbreaking, “I heard that slide hammer cocked back. I stopped the video right there for a second, gained my senses, and then pressed play.”
Kessler believed Webb’s actions were calculated, “he went down to bait somebody into this.”
He added that Webb did have the opportunity to leave but opted not to: ” He had a choice to shut his phone off, turn, and walk away. They would have left him alone, and that would have been the end of it.”
Kessler told NonStop Local he visits his brother frequently in the ICU. On Monday, doctors told Kessler his vitals were up, but he was in no way “out of the woods.” He said he speaks to Hatch while sitting at his bedside. Although Hatch cannot talk, it brings him some comfort to know his little brother can hear him.
“Fight until you have nothing left, but if you have to go, it’s ok.”
Kessler said he will be there for every step of the legal process, “Burn my face into your memory. I will be at every court date, I will watch, I will make sure this doesn’t go unheard.”
Webb’s bail is set to $75,000, which Kessler said is not enough, but he said he has one goal, for justice to be served, “you’re evil. You went out seeking your 15 minutes of fame… Now you’re getting more than your 15 minutes of fame.”
