SPOKANE, Wash. — A Spokane man is facing charges following a reported shooting during a dispute with his roommate on Thursday, according to court docs filed by Spokane police.
Spokane police said that they responded around 6 p.m. to a home on North Hawthorne Street after receiving a report of a shooting. Court docs said that dispatchers were informed that a disagreement between roommates had escalated, resulting in gunfire and one person being injured.
According to the affidavit, Dan Phelps, 53, attempted to evict his roommate with the help of a friend. During the fight, Phelps allegedly fired a gun at the roommate but accidentally shot his friend in the leg. Police said the friend sustained a minor injury.
A witness who also lived at the home told investigators in the court docs that he and his father had been trying to remove Perkins from the home for several months. After the roommate failed to vacate by an agreed-upon date, the witness said they changed the locks while the roommate was out.
Courts docs said that later that day, the roommate allegedly returned and forced entry into the home through a basement window. Phelps reportedly became upset and called his friend for help.
According to the witness in the court docs, Phelps armed himself with a gun before heading to the basement to confront the roommate. He told police he heard one gunshot, followed by someone apologizing to the friend for accidentally shooting him. Shortly after, he heard several additional shots fired into his roommate’s locked bedroom door.
The witness told police in the court docs that he believed his Phelps fired the additional shots out of anger. Both the witness and the friend reportedly urged Phelps to stop firing, at which point he did.
Police said both Phelps and the witness helped the friend upstairs before officers arrived on the scene.
