Police Department

SPD Releases Names of Officers in Nov. 7 Officer Involved Shooting

Ofc. Teresa Fuller, 509.835.4568, tfuller@spokanepolice.org

Tuesday, November 10, 2015 at 4:12 p.m.

The Spokane Police Department is releasing the names of the officers involved in the shooting of Tyler J. Randant, a suspect who faces several counts of Attempted Robbery and Assault stemming from the incident that occurred Nov. 7th just after 12:30pm.

The involved officers, Senior Police Officers Cory Lyons and Holt Widhalm, have a combined 25 years of experience with the Spokane Police Department with a total of over 31 years of law enforcement involvement.

Prior to his time as a Spokane Police Officer, Officer Cory Lyons was a volunteer in SPD’s Cooperative Education (Co-op) program for 4 years, during which time he was awarded Co-op of the year twice. He was also an SPD Reserve Officer for 3 years, receiving multiple awards during that time including Reserve Rookie of the Year, Reserve of the Year, Volunteer of the Year, and the Reserve Leadership award. He has been a full time Spokane Police Officer since March of 2007.

Officer Lyons is currently a Firearms Instructor for the Spokane Police Training Center which includes instructing students on the use of deadly force. He is also the Reserve Officer training coordinator.

Officer Lyons has received the following awards & commendations:

• July, 2008 he received the Lifesaving Award for his actions saving a suicidal man on the Monroe Street Bridge
• Four internal letters on commendation
• Two commendations from other agencies, including a Certificate of Appreciation from the US Marshal’s Service
• One letter from a citizen who rode with Ofc. Lyons and commented the experience was outstanding

Ofc. Lyons has been involved in one other Officer Involved Shooting (OIS) incident in 2013. The use of force in this incident was determined to be justified by the Spokane County Prosecutor’s Office.

Prior to his time as a Spokane Police Officer, Officer Holt Widhalm was a reserve officer for Spokane Police Department for 2 years during which time he received the Reserve Rookie of the Year award. He was also an officer with Spokane International Airport Police for a year and Eastern Washington University Police for over 5 years. While he was with EWU PD, he was a field training officer (FTO) who trained new officers for the agency. He has been a Spokane Police Officer since December, 2007.

Officer Widhalm is currently an FTO for the Spokane Police Department. He is an instructor in Verbal Defense and Influence at the Spokane Police Training Center. He was also part of a board that evaluated the benefits of Crisis Intervention Training (CIT) for officers across the United States.

Officer Widhalm has received the following awards & commendations:

• August, 2008 received the Lifesaving Award for saving the life of a suicidal person on the Monroe Street Bridge
• March, 2011 he received the Employee of the Month Award for the City of Spokane for buying a new pair of boots for a homeless person downtown, despite having just been notified he may be laid off due to budget cuts
• April, 2011 he received another Lifesaving Award for saving the life of a suicidal person
• Two letters of commendation from various law enforcement agencies
• Three letters of commendation from citizens for his professionalism, quick response, and kindness during a variety of calls for service

Ofc. Widhalm has been involved in one other Officer Involved Shooting (OIS) incident in 2014. The use of force in this incident was determined to be justified by the Spokane County Prosecutor’s Office.

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