Accused shooter’s trial begins Monday
KAYE THORNBRUGH | Hagadone News Network | UPDATED 4 years, 2 months AGO
Sterkel
Kaye Thornbrugh is a second-generation Kootenai County resident who has been with the Coeur d’Alene Press for six years. She primarily covers Kootenai County’s government, as well as law enforcement, the legal system and North Idaho College. | July 8, 2022 1:06 AM
COEUR d’ALENE — The trial of a man who allegedly shot two people in December at a Post Falls gas station before going on a crime spree will begin Monday.
Tisen W. Sterkel, 32, of Oldtown, is charged with 13 felonies: two counts of aggravated battery, two counts of aggravated assault, two counts of possession of a stolen vehicle, operating a vehicle without the owner’s consent, robbery, burglary, attempted unlawful entry, unlawful entry, eluding and possession of a controlled substance.
He has pleaded not guilty to all charges.
The charges stem from December 2021, when Post Falls police responded to reports of a shooting at the Conoco gas station at Highway 41 and Poleline Avenue.
Security footage appeared to show Sterkel fire at least five shots, according to police reports, hitting one man in the neck and another in the leg.
Both men survived their injuries.
After the shooting, witnesses said Sterkel fled the scene in a gold pickup.
Police said he ditched the pickup and stole a different vehicle, before stopping again and forcing a man at gunpoint to switch vehicles with him.
From there, Sterkel allegedly tried to hide in two different residences.
Deputies from the Kootenai County Sheriff’s Office spotted Sterkel driving along the railroad tracks near Highway 53.
When Sterkel refused to stop, law enforcement reportedly pinned his vehicle from both sides, disabling it.
Sterkel reportedly told police he had used meth on the day of the shooting and believed people had been following him.
He remains in jail on $2 million bond.
The trial is expected to last five days.
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