Update: Officer/Deputy-Involved Shooting
The Spokane County Sheriff’s Office is releasing the name of the Detective involved in the August 3, 2022, incident at the Intersection of E. 3rd Avenue and S. Sheridan St. in Spokane.
** Due to the sensitive nature of his assigned duties in the Investigative Division, the Sheriff’s Office is not releasing a picture of the Detective. We ask news outlets to consider, as you have at scenes, the need for some Investigators not to have their photos publicly shared for their safety.
Detective Derek McNall began his law enforcement career with the Spokane County Sheriff’s Office in June 2015. He has worked as a Patrol Deputy, a Field Training Officer (FTO), SWAT Team member and Medic, Defensive Tactics Lead Instructor, and a First Aid Instructor. In February of 2021, he earned a promotion to Detective, assigned to the Investigative Division.
Detective McNall has earned two Life-Saving Awards (2016, 2018), a Certificate of Appreciation (2016), and a Unit Merit Award as a member of the SWAT Team (2021).
He served as a United States Navy Reservist, where he was deployed once, and he also served our community as a Volunteer Firefighter.
In compliance with WAC 139-12, Spokane Police Department and Spokane County Sheriff’s Office personnel will not be involved in the SIIR Team investigation.
For this incident, the SIIR Team is comprised of multiple agencies, including the Washington State Patrol (WSP), Criminal Investigation Unit (CIU) members from Spokane and Tri-Cities, WSP Spokane Regional Auto Theft Task Force (SRATTF), WSP Spokane Missing and Exploited Children’s Task Force (MECTF), Liberty Lake Police Department, and Airway Heights Police Department. The WSP Crime Scene Response Team (CSRT) was utilized for forensic evidence documentation and collection at the scene.
- The Washington State Patrol is the case managing agency in this incident. All future communications regarding it will be sent via the SIIR Team.
Once the SIIR Team investigation is complete, the case will be forwarded to the Spokane County Prosecutor’s Office for review.
###
SIIR Release sent August 4, 2022:
SIIR Investigates Officer Involved Shooting In Spokane County
August 4, 2022
On August 3rd, 2022, at approximately 12:21 a.m., three males traveled from Spokane to the Oxford Suites in Spokane Valley where they committed an armed robbery. The males fled the scene in a van and shortly thereafter, the driver dropped off the two passengers in downtown Spokane. The driver then crashed the van into a business on the northeast corner of South Sheridan Street and 3rd Avenue in Spokane. Responding Spokane Police Department (SPD) units arrived at the collision scene and the van’s sole occupant fired shots at the officers. Two officers responded with gunfire at approximately 1:00 a.m. and the subject barricaded himself in the van and was uninjured during the initial shooting event. One officer at the scene sustained minor injuries from shrapnel.
Due to the serious nature of the event, Special Weapons and Tactics (SWAT) team members from the Spokane Police Department, Spokane County Sheriff’s Office (SCSO), Kootenai County Sheriff’s Office, and Coeur d’Alene Police Department responded to the scene of the barricaded subject.
A standoff ensued and multiple attempts were made to have the subject exit the van. After a prolonged standoff, the subject exited the van armed with a handgun. One SCSO deputy and two SPD officers fired their service weapons and struck the subject at approximately 6:02 a.m. and the subject died of his injuries at the scene.
The Spokane Independent Investigative Response (SIIR) Team protocol was enacted at that time and the Washington State Patrol (WSP) was tasked with primary investigative responsibilities as required by law. Criminal Investigation Unit (CIU) members from Spokane and Tri-Cities responded along with investigators from the WSP Spokane Regional Auto Theft Task Force (SRATTF), WSP Spokane Missing and Exploited Children’s Task Force (MECTF), Liberty Lake Police Department, and Airway Heights Police Department. The WSP Crime Scene Response Team (CSRT) was utilized for forensic evidence documentation and collection at the scene. This remains an ongoing investigation and this information is preliminary as the investigation continues.
The Spokane Police Department will remain the investigative agency for the robbery event.
This Press release is required in compliance with WAC 139-12, which mandates weekly updates be sent out by the lead investigative agency in investigations where a Washington State Peace Officer uses deadly force in the capacity of his or her law enforcement duties. These updates are required even if no new information is available at the time of the update.
###
U.S. Attorney's Office - Eastern Dist. of Washington Release sent August 4, 2022:
KIRKLAND MAN CHARGED WITH DRUG TRAFFICKING OFFENSE RELATED TO RECENT MOTEL ROBBERY
News Release from U.S. Attorney's Office - Eastern Dist. of Wash.
Posted on FlashAlert: August 4th, 2022 4:32 PM
Spokane – Vanessa R. Waldref, the United States Attorney for the Eastern District of Washington, announced today that Scott Banchero, age 58, of Kirkland, Washington, was charged by federal criminal complaint with Possession with Intent to Distribute 500 Grams or More of a Mixture or Substance Containing a Detectable Amount of Methamphetamine, in violation of 21 U.S.C. 841(a)(1), (b)(1)(A)(viii).
As alleged in the criminal complaint, in the early morning hours of August 3, 2022, Banchero was identified as the victim of a robbery at a local motel in Spokane Valley, Washington. Banchero had just arrived from the Seattle, Washington area when the robbery occurred.
Agents with the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives and the Drug Enforcement Administration, as well as Detectives with the Spokane Police Department’s Special Investigations Unit, subsequently executed a federal search warrant on a storage unit rented to Banchero near Spokane, Washington. In the storage unit, law enforcement located approximately 20,000 fentanyl-laced pills, 2 pounds of methamphetamine, 1 kilogram of heroin, and a half pound of cocaine.
Assistant United States Attorneys Patrick Cashman and Caitlin Baunsgard of the Eastern District of Washington are handling this matter on behalf of the United States.
The charges contained in the Complaint are merely accusations, and the defendant is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty.
###
Joint Spokane Police and Spokane County Sheriff's Release sent August 3, 2022:
The Spokane Independent Investigative Response (SIIR) Team is investigating two separate, but related, law enforcement involved shootings that occurred early this morning.
This morning, August 3, 2022, just before 1:00am, Spokane County Sheriff’s Office received a call about an incident in Spokane Valley. The initial investigation indicated the suspect(s) were involved in a robbery. At least one of the suspects was reported to have been armed. Witnesses were able to give a description of the suspect vehicle involved.
Spokane Police Officers located and began to follow the suspect vehicle. Two people fled from the vehicle on foot but were quickly apprehended by officers. Shortly after, the suspect vehicle crashed in the area of 500 E 3rd. A suspect remained in the vehicle and exchanged gunfire with other officers on scene. One officer sustained minor injuries in the exchange, but was able to be treated and released at the scene.
The suspect then barricaded himself in the vehicle. Resources from SWAT, EDU, Spokane Regional Air Support Unit, Spokane County Sheriff’s Office, and Hostage Negotiation teams as well Spokane Fire Department responded in an attempt to bring this to a peaceful conclusion. Just after 5:00am, officers reported the suspect was firing rounds at them again. Law enforcement continued to communicate with the suspect and used a multitude of force options to try to end the incident safely.
A fire also started during the standoff near the vehicle, adding another layer of complexity to the incident. The fire spread to nearby bushes and a building as well as damaging the suspect’s vehicle. It is unknown at this time what caused the fire.
After nearly 5 hours barricaded in the vehicle, the suspect exited and refused all commands by officers to show his hands. Officers reported they could see he was still armed and shortly before 6:00am, three additional law enforcement personnel, two Spokane Police Officers and one Spokane County Sheriff’s detective, fired their service weapons, striking the suspect.
During the standoff, a mutual aid request was made to agencies in North Idaho. Post Falls Police, Kootenai County Sheriff’s Office and Coeur d’Alene Police responded.
The suspect was pronounced deceased at the scene. The identity of the deceased male will be released by the Medical Examiner’s Office at a later time when appropriate.
No other citizens or law enforcement were injured during this incident.
The SIIR team is processing the scene. Body worn camera footage will be retrieved, as will footage from the surrounding buildings. Witnesses or businesses in the area who may have surveillance footage and have not been contacted are asked to call Crime Check at 509-456-2233. Investigators from the SIIR Team will be reviewing the footage as well as witness statements taken this morning.
This continues to be an active and ongoing investigation.
The SIIR Team is comprised of multiple agencies in eastern Washington, including the Spokane Police Department, the Washington State Patrol and the Spokane County Sheriff’s Office.
• The Washington State Patrol is the managing agency in this incident. All future communications on this incident will be sent via the SIIR Team.
• The Spokane Police Department and the Spokane County Sheriff’s Office will release the names of the officers and detective involved in this incident.
• Once the SIIR Team investigation is complete the case will be forwarded to the Spokane County Prosecutor’s Office for review.