Suspect found dead: St. John standoff ends after 5-year-old released

 

April 25, 2019



A day-long standoff in St. John ended late Tuesday when officers entered a residence in St. John and discovered the suspect, Justin P. Robertson, 41, dead. He reportedly had died from a self-inflicted gunshot wound.

Robertson at about 3:20 p.m. Tuesday turned over his son, Ethan, to officers at the scene and was believed to have taken his own life later in the day.

Five-year-old Ethan was the subject of an AMBER Alert issued by Spokane Valley Police early Tuesday when Robertson reportedly entered the residence of his estranged wife, Melissa, at about 5 a.m., stabbed her multiple times and took the boy.

Melissa Robertson was hospitalized and officers later reported she is expected to recover from the injuries sustained in the attack.

The Robertsons were reported to be going through a divorce, and Melissa Robertson had been awarded temporary custody of their son.

The AMBER Alert for Ethan was issued in Washington and northern Idaho.

Justin Robertson at mid-morning was determined to have gone to St. John where his parents reside, and officers from several agencies responded to the scene.

St. John residents during the day posted accounts of police units assembling at the St. John fairground and going back and forth to the Robertson residence near the golf course residential area which is located just west of the fairground.

Police helicopters also hovered over the scene.

According to reports from the Spokane County Sheriff’s Office, deputies from Spokane, Whitman County, troopers from the Washington State Patrol, and U.S. Marshall’s Office all responded to the scene and negotiated with Robertson to hand over the boy and end the standoff.

St. John Schools were placed on modified yellow alert which was lifted by deputies when the situation was contained and posed no imminent danger to the school or town. School was released at its normal time, and bus routes were altered where necessary.

After Justin Robertson’s photo was posted as the man suspected of abducting five-year-old Ethan, present and former residents of Colfax identified the suspect as a former resident of Colfax. He was identified as a member of the Colfax High School class of 1995.

 

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