A 29-year-old man has been detained in connection with a narcotics robbery in Spokane Valley that killed a 16-year-old kid in March, authorities said.
Brendon M. McCullough, who has several felony convictions, was charged with attempted first-degree robbery, second-degree assault, and second-degree unauthorized possession of a firearm, according to Spokane County Superior Court documents.
According to the Spokane County Medical Examiner’s Office, Nathaniel Byers died on March 10 from a gunshot wound to the head, two days after the shooting.
McCullough and Byers allegedly went to an apartment at 4009 S. Bowdish Road to commit a narcotics robbery, according to a Spokane Valley Police Department announcement.
McCullough visited the apartment with a woman, while Byers and another man remained outside with the vehicles. Once inside the flat, the drug exchange evolved into a robbery, with McCullough presenting a weapon, according to authorities.
McCullough and the man who lives in the apartment fought over the pistol, and at least one shot was fired.
The woman who arrived with McCullough escaped the room as Byers, who was listening to an open phone call, heard the struggle and dashed into the flat, loaded with a revolver. The fleeing woman got into a car with the man who had stayed with Byers outside, and they drove away.
The son of the man who lives in the flat emerged from a back room to help and noticed McCullough fighting with his father over a pistol that had fallen on the ground. As Byers approached the apartment’s front door armed with a revolver, the son picked up the firearm.
Facing one other, Byers and the son traded gunfire, with the son getting shot in the hand and Byers in the head, according to authorities.
The son then turned to McCullough, who was still fighting with his father, and shot him, according to the release.
McCullough fled in a white Yukon and drove to a gas station on 32nd Avenue and State Route 27, where he stopped and threw various items into a rubbish can, according to police.
A Washington State Patrol trooper looking for McCullough’s car spotted his white Yukon heading north on State Route 27 at speeds above 100 mph. According to authorities, the trooper witnessed the SUV skid off the side of the road near East 16th Avenue and State Route 27.
Several deputies arrived to aid and took McCullough into arrest. He was transported to the hospital with gunshot wounds.
According to court filings, Ring doorbell video footage captured McCullough and the lady knocking on the door early that morning, the door being answered, and the two entering.
Almost 1½ minutes later, Byers was observed walking up the stairs with a pistol. Screaming could be heard in the background, with someone apparently yelling, “Nate!” according to the footage.
The woman exited from the apartment and told Byers, “He’s in there, he’s in there,” according to the video. When Byers entered the apartment, gunfire rang out almost instantly. Byers was observed falling to the ground right outside the entrance.
The man who lives in the apartment told officers McCullough pointed a gun at him and said, “I want it all,” when McCullough and the lady knocked on his door, according to records. McCullough struck him in the head with the pistol, and the two battled over the revolver, which fired at least twice. He claimed he called for his son, who came into the kitchen to assist.
Byers appeared during the battle over the gun. The man heard more gunshots near the front door. According to the man, McCullough eventually flung the pistol across the floor, fled the house, and drove away in a white SUV.
The man’s son informed authorities that he heard his father crying his name and knew something was wrong. He exited his bedroom and saw his father tackling McCullough. When he saw McCullough drop a handgun, he grabbed it up from the floor.
According to records, Byers approached the son around the corner from the front entrance and pointed a pistol at him from close range. He stated that he and Byers shot each other at the same time. He believed Byers fled through the front door during the gunfight. He claimed to have discovered a gunshot wound in his hand.
He stated his father was still wrestling with McCullough and asked him what he should do, including whether he should shoot McCullough. He then shot him.
McCullough told officers that he had been to the flat to acquire a narcotic for $1,200 from the individual living there. He didn’t know the man, and the wife facilitated the drug transaction.
McCullough stated that the man invited him and the woman inside.
He and the man disagreed about the drug’s price, and the man pulled out a revolver and attempted to rob McCullough. The two then battled for the gun, and the man’s son emerged from a rear room with a handgun, and he was shot.
According to the records, the woman said to officers she had no idea McCullough was planning to rob the man. She had planned to bring McCullough to the house to buy drugs from the man that night, and the man was anticipating them to arrive around this time.
She claimed McCullough and the male were on their telephones, talking CashApp and McCullough purchasing a narcotic for $1,200. The chat was normal and calm.
Then McCullough confronted the man. The two men began fighting and fell to the ground, and she heard a gunshot, followed by the man begging for his son. She raced out the front door of the flat. As she left, she noticed Byers standing outside the apartment with a revolver in his hand.
She heard three or four more gunshots as she dashed to the street.
According to the announcement, detectives confiscated a considerable number of controlled narcotics and drug paraphernalia, including scales and packaging, numerous guns, large sums of cash, two safes, and multiple telephones from the apartment.
Detectives discovered a cell phone, a bag containing multiple blue pills suspected of containing fentanyl, drug equipment, a tiny bag containing multicolored pills, and Narcan in the gas station rubbish can.
Inside the Yukon, detectives seized a huge number of blue tablets suspected of containing fentanyl, two revolver magazines, ammo, a holster, a scale, and other lesser amounts of prohibited narcotics and accessories.
Detectives are continuing their investigation, and additional charges and/or arrests are possible.
McCullough made his first appearance in Superior Court on Friday, and he is due to be arraigned on Tuesday. He is in the Spokane County Jail on a $100,000 bond.