Edgemere shooting ruled self-defense

EDGEMERE — Criminal charges will not be pursued against a Bonner County woman who shot her husband to death during an attack on Tuesday.

Bonner County Undersheriff David Hale said the woman was acting in self-defense after being choked, battered and threatened with death.

"We've been working closely with the prosecutor on this and everybody is in agreement that this appears, by all evidence to be a self-defense situation," Hale said on Thursday.

Deputies were summoned to the 4800 block of Spirit Lake Cutoff Road at about 11:30 p.m., after dispatchers received an open-line 911 call. In such calls, the caller is unable or unwilling to speak, but dispatchers are able to hear through the open line.

"The operators heard screaming and the sounds of a violent struggle," Hale said.

Scott Spangler, 55, had allegedly threatened to retrieve a firearm and kill everybody, including himself and two 9-year-old children who were in the home. He gathered all the phones in the home, but his wife managed to find one to call 911.

She also armed herself with a .380-caliber semiautomatic pistol, according to sheriff's officials.

Hale said Spangler discovered the call had been placed, became further enraged and charged the woman, prompting her to open fire. Spangler was hit twice in the arm and one of the slugs passed into his torso.

Despite being mortally wounded, Hale said Spangler continued to attack his wife. She was dragged into a kitchen and threatened with a pair of shears, but Spangler lost consciousness.

"This was all able to be heard through the 911 call," said Hale.

The woman escaped the residence and placed a second 911 call. Deputies and Northern Lakes Fire District personnel performed cardiopulmonary resuscitation and other life-saving measures, but Spangler died at the scene.

"We've reviewed quite a bit of video and quite a bit of audio with this and I can assure you some fairly valiant efforts were performed by the deputies and medical personnel," said Hale.

Neither Spangler nor his wife have prior criminal histories in Idaho, according to the state supreme court data repository.