Man who wanted to 'go out in a blaze of glory' identified as suspect accused of shooting Stevens County deputy

A man who told his family he wanted to "go out in a blaze of glory" was identified Wednesday as the suspect in a shooting of a Stevens County deputy.

The Stevens County Coroner's Office told The Spokesman-Review that Jim Jordan, 66, was the man who died following a gunfight with a deputy and standoff with law enforcement negotiators at a home in Suncrest. Deputies responded to a burglary call at the home in the 16400 block of North Suncrest Drive early Tuesday morning, only to be met with gunfire when attempting to enter. The deputy who was shot suffered upper torso injuries and is recovering at Providence Sacred Heart Medical Center following surgery.

The deputy has not been identified.

After the deputy was shot, other law enforcement officers tried negotiating with Jordan inside the home, but he eventually cut off all communication. Officers then deployed a drone into the home only to find him dead of an apparent self-inflicted gunshot wound, according to a press release from Stevens County Sheriff Brad Manke.

The Stevens County Coroner's Office, working with the Spokane County Medical Examiner, is still determining Jordan's cause and manner of death.

County records show he owns the Suncrest home with his wife, who currently has a no-contact order against him for a domestic violence incident last month.

Jordan was previously charged with multiple crimes such as assault, unlawful imprisonment and harassment in connection with the domestic violence incident. Court records say Jordan's wife called police on March 24 to report he had become violent, dragged her around the house, tied her up with zip-ties, took her phone and grabbed a gun during the altercation that caused her to fear for her life. She was able to flee to her daughter's home in Idaho. Her daughter also received threats from Jordan, according to court records.

Jordan's family told deputies in March they were worried about law enforcement responding to the Suncrest home because he told them he would "go out in a blaze of glory" and engage in a police shooting, according to court records.

In further statements to Idaho law enforcement, Jordan's wife continued to emphasize he told her he would kill her and the police if they showed up to the house. Deputies believed at the time they had enough cause to arrest Jordan for domestic violence-related crimes and located him near the Suncrest Rosauers the same day. Deputies went into the home and recovered multiple firearms in a safe, court records say. At the time, Jordan denied making any threats towards his daughter and denied using a firearm during the altercation with his wife.

Both were granted a no-contact order on March 25. Jordan was not allowed to possess firearms nor be within 1,000 feet of the Suncrest home.

He posted bail March 27, according to court records. The case was set to go to trial this summer.

Stevens County Sheriff's Office Chief Deputy Greg Gowin told The Spokesman-Review in an email that deputies "knew Jordan was a risk" based on his previous arrest, but did not know he was the suspect inside the home during Tuesday's shooting. The burglary was initially reported by a resident who was not home at the time but was able to view an intruder breaking into the garage on a security camera, Manke said in Tuesday's press release.

The Washington State Patrol is the lead agency investigating the circumstances surrounding the deputy firing their weapon. When a deputy or officer does so, law enforcement agencies who are members of the state's "Independent Investigation Team" attempt to determine if the use of deadly force was justified.

Shooting and injuring Stevens deputies is rare, but has happened

The last time a Stevens County deputy was injured was 2014, when off-duty detective Duane Johnson engaged in a gunfight with a man attempting to break in to a neighbor's home in the community of Rice. The man died, and Johnson was injured in the ear and hand.

Prior to that, two robbery suspects on a drug binge killed a man and injured four members of law enforcement in the summer of 1991 during a crime spree that spanned two counties.

It began around 8 p.m. near Tumtum, when Stevens County reservist deputy Rudy Karg, then 44 years old, had pulled over a Chevrolet Nova and was immediately shot in the left thigh. Then-26-year-old deputy Kevin Nave was also shot, and the wound penetrated his shoulder, Spokesman-Review archives show. Both were taken to the hospital and treated for their injuries.

The gunmen, identified as John. R. Chavers and Jay Mowery, drove toward Suncrest. They forced entry into the home of John Bohl, who was trying to protect his family when he was shot and killed. The men stole his truck and headed toward Spokane, where a roadblock was set up. It was there that the two opened fire on law enforcement, seriously injuring Spokane County Deputy Cliff Berry.

The chase continued to the Garland District, where the gunmen crashed the truck and engaged in a standoff with law enforcement, injuring Spokane Police Officer Terry Boardman. The standoff happened outside the home of 30-year-old Kelly Miller, who was killed when a stray police bullet passed through the wall.

Chavers and Mowery pleaded guilty and were sent to prison more than a year later. The Stevens County deputies received "purple heart" awards from the county commissioners on Dec. 9, 1991, for their bravery during the crime spree.

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This story was originally published April 29, 2026 at 7:09 PM.