Police hunting suspect as two dead and officer shot on Washington tribal reservation

Officer recovering from injuries

Police in Washington state are investigating three suspects after two people were found dead on a tribal reservation and a responding officer was shot.

The Colville Tribal Police Department told The Associated Press they responded to a call on Thursday in Keller, west of Spokane, finding two bodies.

A responding officer, who the department said came across a vehicle leaving the scene, was shot in the arm and is now recovering well from his injuries.

One of the suspects in a 20 October, 2022, shooting that took place on the Colville Reservation in Washington state (Colville Tribal Police Department)

Police have identified two of the suspects so far, Curry Pinkam and Zachary Holt.

The men are now in custody, KXLY reports.

Police described the underlying incident as a shooting where a brother and sister were shot. The victims have not yet been identified.

“Public safety is our highest priority as we try to apprehend these suspects,” Colville Tribes Emergency Services wrote on their Facebook page on Friday, where the agency is posting safety updates about the investigation. “We encourage the community to remain in their homes until we have this situation resolved.”

Local police and sheriff’s deputies, as well as the FBI, Border Patrol, and Washington State Police are assisting in the search for the third suspect.

Schools in the towns of Nespelem, Keller, Wilbur, and Creston are closed amid the ongoing investigation.

“Right now, our hearts are heavy, and we are in support of the entire Keller Community,” the school district covering Wilbur and Creston wrote on its Instagram page.

Squad cars were pictured surrounding a house in Nespelem.

A picture of one of the suspects released by police (Colville Tribal Police Department)

The reservation 1.4 million acre reservation is home to about 9,300 people.

Last month, a stabbing spree in a First Nation community in Saskatchewan killed 10 people and injured numerous others.

Myles Sanderson, one of two brothers suspected in the attacks, died in early September shortly after being taken into custody, with police describing the man as suffering “medical distress” that did not appear to be self-inflicted.

His brother, Damien, was also found dead during the manhunt in a grassy area near a James Smith Cree Nation home, with what Royal Canadian Mounted Police Assistant Commissioner Rhonda Blackmore said were “visible injuries … not believed to be self-inflicted.”