Pend Oreille County sheriff identifies slain Usk woman

USK — Authorities in Pend Oreille County identified a woman who was shot to death on Wednesday as Tessa Lee Thomas.

Thomas, 31, was found with an apparent gunshot wound at a residence in after law officers received a report of a shooting involving a male and two females shortly after 4 p.m.

The other female, who has not been publicly identified, had a non-life-threatening gunshot wound to her chest and was transported by a Pend Oreille EMS ambulance to Newport Hospital. After being treated and released, she was questioned by investigators, according to Sheriff Glenn Blakeslee.

A male detained at the scene, who also has not been identified by authorities, was taken into the Pend Oreille County Sheriff’s Office for questioning and later released.

“All parties involved have been located and there is no threat to the public,” Blakeslee said in an update posted to Facebook.

Blakeslee said investigators from the Washington State Patrol and the sheriff’s office executed a search warrant for the scene of a shooting and a vehicle, which was removed and processed.

“The names of the other two individuals have not been released as this is an ongoing, active investigation. All parties involved have been cooperative and no arrests have been made. As with any death investigation, careful processing, evidence collection, and interviews are time consuming,” said Blakeslee.

Blakeslee asked for the public’s patience and said no further information would be released until the investigation is completed. The sheriff also thanked Fire District 4 and Kalispel Fire for their quick response following the shooting.

Keith Kinnaird can be reached by email at kkinnaird@bonnercountydailybee.com and follow him on Twitter @KeithDailyBee.