Police Department

Two Overnight Drive-By-Shooting

Ofc. John O'Brien, PIO

Tuesday, August 25, 2020 at 2:30 p.m.

This morning, around 5:51 a.m., a drive-by shooting was reported in the area of Boone Avenue and Walnut Street. The caller described one of the vehicles as a red PT Cruiser.

Officers arrived on scene and confirmed nobody in the area had been hit by the gunfire. They recovered a shell casing at the location.

A graveyard officer headed to the shooting spotted the PT Cruiser near Division Street and Mission Avenue and initiated a pursuit of the vehicle lasting around six minutes. The pursuit was authorized due to the crime of violence involving a firearm.

The driver of the vehicle, and the other occupants, fled from the car after they abandoned it in an alley in the area of 900 E. Indiana Avenue. The driver, Roman M. Shrader (29), was taken into custody after a brief struggle. A K9 track was started and a female surrendered without a K9 contact.

An empty holster and a firearm were seen inside the vehicle. Officers seized the car to be held as evidence while a search warrant will be sought to recover the firearm.

Other officers had located what appeared to be the victim vehicle, a white Impala, in the area of Ash Street and Sharp Avenue. The vehicle appeared to have been struck by a bullet but no occupants had been injured. This vehicle was also seized as evidence.

Shrader was arrested for Drive-By Shooting, Unlawful Possession of a Firearm 1^st degree and Attempting to Elude a Police Vehicle. Shrader was booked into the Spokane County Jail on the new charges.

Shrader is a convicted felon which prohibits him from lawfully possessing firearms. He has (13) felony convictions in Washington State to include: Assault 3^rd degree, Possession of Controlled Substance, Attempting to Elude a Police Vehicle, Forgery, Possession of Stolen Property, Taking a Motor Vehicle without Owner Permission and Possession of Stolen Motor Vehicle. Shrader has (10) Gross Misdemeanor convictions as well as (16) Misdemeanor convictions.

An earlier drive-by shooting happened around midnight in the area of 600 S. Howard Street. In that incident, numerous shell casings were recovered at the scene but no vehicles were located. It was reported a white sedan was involved. It has not been confirmed, at this time, if these two incidents are related.

If you have information regarding either drive-by shooting, to include surveillance video, and have not already spoken to law enforcement, we encourage you to call Crime Check at 509-456-2233 and reference #2020-20148127.

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