Man shot by police in Spokane Valley was threatening to harm himself

A Spokane Valley Sheriff's deputy shot a man who had been making threats to harm himself yesterday. The man ignored multiple commands from police to drop the gun that he was holding, according to a news release.

The man, identified by the Spokesman-Review as Justin Klauba, was taken to the hospital with non-life-threatening injuries. The deputy who shot the man has not been identified.

Around 2 am Monday, deputies were sent to the Spokane Valley home to check on Klauba, who was threatening to harm himself via text message, according to a Spokane Police Department news release.

Klauba's father-in-law, Larry Everett, tells the Spokesman-Review that Klauba was shot in the hand in the incident, and is undergoing surgery at Providence Sacred Heart Medical Center.

Spokane Police Department detectives will investigate the shooting as a part of the Spokane Investigative Regional Response Team.

This is at least the fifth officer-involved shooting involving Spokane law enforcement in 2017. Two of the incidents were fatal. And in March, Sheriff's Office Sgt. Harold Whapeles was shot by Dean Bellamy, after officers responded to a domestic violence call. Whapeles survived. Bellamy did not, though it's unclear whether he was shot by police or committed suicide.