The shooting that left a 17-year-old dead and two others wounded last week in the Central East community was the result of a “drug deal gone wrong,” according to court documents.
Police obtained several reports of shots fired around 8:20 p. m. Feb. 8 at 1725 E. Seventh Ave. , according to the documents. Patrol officers discovered one person, Tyler Rowell, dead and two other men shot in the right leg and taken to the hospital. A soft blue pickup truck fled.
One of the patients was treated and released and the other was not indexed in formula at Providence Sacred Heart Medical Center, according to hospital spokeswoman Ariana Lake.
Rowell died from gunshot wounds to the head and torso at the Spokane County medical examiner’s office. Rowell died at the scene, according to the documents.
Police arrested Hagen F. Charbonneau, 18; Gavin M. McGregor, 21; Saphir B. Jespersen, 20; and Leland Westerland, 16, charged as an adult.
One of the victims, whose femur was broken, told a hospital official that he took Rowell and the other victim in his blue Honda Odyssey minivan to Seventh Avenue to sell hash oil worth about $600. He said he didn’t know who was buying the drug. .
The trio got out of the van and 3 other people dressed in a dark-colored ski mask, which the victim said he didn’t know, approached and opened fire, hitting Rowell first, then him and the other guy last, the victim said in documents. He told police that one of the 3 men who approached them was armed with a black handgun. The trio then took the keys to his Honda and left with him.
The victim told police that one of the men asked him for the keys after the shooting. He gave them his key fob, which had two key fobs for two vehicles.
According to court records, evidence of pre-packaged hash oil strewn on the floor and six 9mm bullet casings were recovered.
“The scene consistent with drug trafficking went wrong,” police said in the documents.
The next morning, a user reported seeing the stolen Honda Odyssey parked at 3205 S. University Road in Spokane Valley. Police later saw Charbonneau enter the Honda, get out and run away from officers before stopping.
After lying first, according to the police account, Charbonneau told a police detective that he was involved in the robbery and that McGregor needed cash to pay a bail guarantor. Therefore, he said, Jesperen’s Snapchat account was used to groom victims during robbery under the guise of buying drugs.
Jespersen told police he allowed McGregor to use his Snapchat account for the robbery. He said he contacted one of the men before the flight.
Charbonneau told police that he and the other 3 defendants were driving McGregor’s silver Infiniti and parked north of Seventh Avenue near Liberty Park. Jespersen said she was the driver. Charbonneau, McGregor and Westerland walked down a trail to Seventh Avenue while Jespersen waited in the car, according to Charbonneau.
Charbonneau said he and Westerland were hiding near a pickup truck and trailer parked in Seventh while McGregor waited for the three men to arrive, according to the documents. Charbonneau watched the men pass in front of them in Seventh towards a dead finish in the Honda. Odyssey before turning around and parking near the van where Charbonneau hid.
The 3 men got out of the Honda and one of them said something to Charbonneau, according to Charbonneau. He said Westerland then revealed himself and shot the 3 men with a purple handgun, according to records.
Charbonneau said Westerland and McGregor then searched the victims’ pockets, according to police. McGregor took the keys to the Honda truck and passed them to Charbonneau and told him to leave. McGregor and Westerland fled on foot toward McGregor’s car.
Jespersen said he heard several gunshots and that Westerland had a black and purple handgun that he placed in a bag when he returned to the car. Westerland was later arrested with the gun in his possession, police said.
Jespersen said the scheme to borrow the drugs, but he didn’t know anyone would get hurt. McGregor also denied knowing Westerland was going to shoot anyone.
Charbonneau said the three men drove the shooting and acted in a threatening manner toward Westerland.
Charbonneau said he drove to the Underhill Park parking lot where McGregor walked among the contents of the Honda Odyssey. Charbonneau arrived at his apartment on University Road, where he parked the stolen Honda. Charbonneau said he spoke with McGregor by phone about the option of getting rid of the van near Reardan.
McGregor told police he participated in it and took some of the hash oil.
McGregor, Charbonneau and Jespersen made their first court appearances Friday and are expected to be arraigned Feb. 22. The trio remained in prison Tuesday for murder, assault and robbery. Each of its obligations for at least one million dollars.
Westerland faces charges of murder, assault and robbery. He made his first court Tuesday and is in the Spokane County Juvenile Detention Center.