40-year-old man suspected of having a motor disability faces vehicular murder charges after hitting pedestrian in Spokane Valley | Messages

SPOKANE, Wash. — A 40-year-old man has been arrested and charged with vehicle murder after traffic investigators with the Spokane Valley Police Department said he fatally struck a woman crossing the street Saturday night.

According to a press release from the Spokane County Sheriff’s Office, deputies were called to a car-pedestrian collision near Sprague and the Chronicle just before 6 p.m. Saturday.

Investigators say initial information shows the woman was crossing Sprague when she was struck by a van driven by 40-year-old Michael J. Schuk.

Schuk stayed at the crime scene.

The woman was taken to the hospital with serious, life-threatening injuries. She was pronounced dead at the hospital. The woman’s identity will be released by the Spokane County Medical Examiner’s Office at a later date.

A probable cause was found to believe that Schuk was impaired and a search warrant for a blood sample was obtained. Schuk was arrested and charged with vehicle murder.

The sheriff’s office said Sprague would be closed Saturday night between S. Carnahan and S. Custer for several hours to investigate.