Jul. 5—Thousands of panicked people in downtown Spokane to watch the Fourth of July fireworks fled Riverfront Park late Friday after false reports of an active shooter quickly spread through the crowd.
Just after 10 p.m. before the start of the official fireworks, the big band MasterClass was finishing up its set in the Lilac Bowl, east of where Washington Street cuts through the park, when people began to rush from the western side of the park. Some yelled that there was an active shooter. With the band still playing, many of those sitting on picnic blankets in the Lilac Bowl began to flee in response, grabbing their children and belongings, as the official fireworks began. Meanwhile, someone with a microphone on the stage warned the crowd to take cover.
A minute or two later, the fireworks were halted as sirens began to sound in the background.
A “possible physical altercation near the clocktower” likely led to the false report of a shooting, Spokane police said in a news release.
Officers, some in tactical gear quickly responded to the Clocktower. About 10 minutes after the initial rush of the crowd, police announced near the Clocktower that that there had not been a shooting and that fireworks would resume.
The false reports of a mass shooter, causing panic at the annual fireworks display follows the shooting of three firefighters by an active shooter in Coeur d’Alene less than a week earlier. In May 2024, the Armed Forces Torchlight Parade in downtown Spokane was halted after a shooting at a convenience store along the route.
Tara and Todd Huffman, of Nampa, Idaho, were in the Riverfront Park crowd not far from the Clocktower when they heard something that sounded like a firecracker.
“Someone said, ‘Did you hear that pop?’ and then suddenly people just started running that way, in all directions,” Tara Huffman said.
The Huffmans didn’t flee because they were confident that there was no danger, but they said at least half the crowd began to flee in short order.
“They didn’t even know what they were running from,” Todd Huffman said.
Some in the crowd said they experienced panic and rushing people. Others experienced an exit that was more orderly.
By the time fireworks restarted before 10:30 p.m., there was only a scattering of people left. Even many of those still in the park who knew the report was false were no longer in the mood for patriotic revelry and continued to leave.
Caroline Saint James’ ‘s reporting was funded by Comma’s First Amendment Club.