Wounded deputy grew up in Deer Park

June 21, 2012

Police officers converged on the intersection of Crawford and U.S. Highway 395 after police shooting suspect Charles Wallace crashed his getaway car into a guardrail and then took his own life.

Spokane County Sheriff’s Deputy Mike Northway, who was shot four times during a traffic stop in north Spokane on June 19, grew up in the Deer Park area.
The 42-year-old Northway graduated from Deer Park High School in 1988. He joined the police Sheriff’s Department in 1996 as a corrections officer. He went on patrol duty three years later.
A high school friend, who wished to remain anonymous, said Northway’s goal while growing up was to be a police officer.
Fellow deputy Matt Spink, who joined the department in 1999, was also shot during the traffic stop.
Northway’s wounds included a shattered femur and the loss of a section of artery in his arm. His injuries required seven hours of surgery at Sacred Heart Medical Center.
Sheriff Ozzie Knezovich said Northway, who is in stable condition, will need more surgeries in the near future.
Spink is also listed in stable condition.