Spokane police fatally shoot man after rampage

SPOKANE — Police fatally shot a 23-year-old man Friday after a woman was beaten with a skateboard and a pit bull that came to her aid was stabbed.

The Spokane County Medical Examiner’s Office identified the man as Jason M. Poss.

Police received 911 calls early Friday that a man tried to break into one home on Spokane’s north side, then assaulted a woman after breaking into another residence, where he also stabbed the dog.

Officers spotted a man walking with a skateboard and a knife in his hands. Sheriff’s Sgt. Dave Reagan said the man refused orders to stop and was shot by two Spokane police officers as he threatened a third officer with the knife.

The injured woman, 34-year-old Tara Tanner, was treated at a local hospital, Reagan said. The dog ran off but was found about eight blocks away and was being treated at a veterinary clinic.

The first emergency call came from a woman who reported a man with a skateboard tried to kick in her door but left without gaining entry, Reagan said.

Several minutes later, police received a call from Tanner, who reportedly was struck several times with a skateboard after a man kicked in her door and went inside.

A female black pit bull named Molly belonging to Tanner’s son Vince Smith approached the attacker and was stabbed in the back and back leg, Smith said.

After the dog was stabbed, the attacker briefly chased Smith down a street but Smith said he ducked between houses and got away.

During the entire time, the assailant never spoke, Smith told The Spokesman-Review, adding, “His eyes were big, he never blinked.”

The medical examiner’s office did not immediately release autopsy results, noting toxicology tests can take as long as six weeks.

Because the case involved a shooting by Spokane police, the Spokane County Sheriff’s Office is investigating. The names of the officers who fired were not immediately released.