SPOKANE, Wash. — The Spokane County Sheriff’s Office is investigating after a man shot his neighbor and killed himself on Thursday evening.
Officials said the suspect, identified as 61-year-old David Mark Cholewinski, had recently been given a ticket for showing a handgun during a road rage incident with his neighbor's employees.
The shooting happened at a home on East Bigelow Gulch Road between East Weile Avenue and North Jensen Road around 6:05 p.m. The victim, Ben Grosser, sustained a gunshot wound and later died.
According to a GoFundMe set up by the family, Grosser passed away on Friday. He leaves behind a wife and two young children.
Grosser told deputies he had an earlier altercation with his neighbor and he had just returned home when the neighbor shot him.
Spokane County deputies responded to the scene and blocked traffic on Bigelow Gulch.
In a press release, Corporal Mark Gregory said Cholewinski was seen walking from Grosser's driveway going west on Bigelow Gulch. He said as deputies approached him, Cholewinski quickened his pace and walked past his own driveway.
The deputy identified himself and started to give commands for the suspect to stop, but Gregory said Cholewinski continued to approach the deputy, unfazed. The deputy took cover and Cholewinski turned around and walked back to his home.
Gregory said additional deputies moved toward Cholewinski's home and heard a single gunshot. Moments later a woman called 911 saying her husband had shot himself behind their house on East Bigelow Gulch, Gregory said.
Major Crimes detectives were called in to investigate. East Bigelow Gulch Road between East Weile Avenue and North Jensen Road was shut down until 3 a.m.
Investigators learned deputies had previously responded to the same home that day at 4:15 p.m. for a reported road rage/argument.
Gregory said during the call it was reported that employees of the victim were followed to the victim's home by the suspect. The suspect was upset after an incident on Bigelow Gulch just west of Argonne.
Employees said they were in the outside lane, approaching the portion of the road where it narrows into one lane. The employee driver signaled and started to merge into the inside lane as the suspect sped up to try to cut them off. The suspect followed them to the victim's home and the driver got out, approached the suspect's car and asked what he wanted.
According to the employees, Cholewinski started yelling that they had cut him off, that he had lived in the area for many years and they needed to respect him. The suspect eventually stopped yelling and displayed a handgun without saying another word as he backed out of the driveway.
The deputy contacted the suspect at the front of his home. Gregory said he was drinking what appeared to be an alcoholic beverage as he spoke with the deputy. He admitted to having an argument with the victim's employees and displayed a handgun.
He said when the driver approached his car, he removed the gun from the center console and put it in the seat next to him but denied pointing the pistol at anyone.
The suspect referred to the victim's employees as "Mexicans" and told the deputy they were likely "illegals."
Cholewinski was issued a criminal gross misdemeanor citation for unlawful display of a firearm. Cholewinski told deputies he had done nothing wrong and he would fight the citation in court.