SPOKANE, Wash. – A Spokane homeowner wants the city to pay for damage and cleanup after police shot and killed a suspect in his backyard.
Colt Ward woke up around 1:30 a.m. Wednesday to sirens and police near Northwest Boulevard. Police were looking for Richard Sheppard, who was accused of stabbing a man at the Apple Tree Inn in North Spokane.
Ward saw Sheppard climb over his fence before police shot and killed him.
“I think I deserve at least a new fence and some compensation,” Ward said.
Police broke Ward’s fence to see where the suspect was. Blood remains on Ward’s house and in his backyard. A bullet hole is in his neighbor’s fence.
“I was hoping, when I came home from work, that it would at least look like they attempted to close my gate or fix something or clean up the bodily fluids that were left,” Ward said.
Ward says police didn’t help with cleanup.
“Nobody gave me a crime scene cleanup number. The detective gave me a couple of contacts if I wanted to get some kind of grant,” Ward said.
Spokane police say homeowners must file insurance claims with the city for damage. The Washington State Supreme Court says police can be liable for damage only if they caused more damage than necessary.
Ward worries about cleaning up the blood himself.
“Who knows if this guy had some kind of disease, and now it’s on the side of my house, in my yard, on this penny, live shotgun shell. Also they littered everywhere, there’s trash,” Ward said.
The city’s risk management department will decide if Ward’s claim gets approved. Ward hopes to get answers about fixing his property soon.
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