Jan. 7—Two people detained in connection to a fatal shooting Monday in Spokane Valley were released without being arrested or charged after they claimed self-defense, according to court records.
Callers reported a shooting in the area of University Road and East Fourth Avenue around 12:20 p.m., Spokane Valley Police Department Chief Dave Ellis said at the scene.
They found the victim, identified in court documents as Abel Rocha, lying in the parking lot of Aurora Valley care, across the street from the Valley Transit Center. Investigators found a handgun next to him, according to a news release from the Spokane County Sheriff’s Office.
Police tracked down at a house two suspects they believed were involved in the shooting because they worked at the nursing home, court documents said.
When interviewed by investigators, one suspect said they were sitting in their car in the nursing home parking lot to take a break from work when they were confronted by two men who claimed one of them was “hitting on his wife.”
Court records said the eventual victim was encouraging him to fight while holding a silver gun.
One of the men in the car said Rocha “racked” the gun and pointed it at him, which caused him to be in fear for his life, he told police.
The suspect pulled the pistol and fired several rounds at Rocha, court records say. He then drove to his mother’s house, changed his clothes and called to tell her what happened.
The other suspect declined to answer any questions, according to court records.
The case remains an open investigation and arrests could be made if investigators establish probable cause, the sheriff’s office release said.