For Immediate Release:
All guests and staff at the Family Promise Emergency Family Shelter are safe after an incident where a neighbor pointed a gun at one of our staff members.
Tonight, 12/20/23 around 6:45pm, Alex Crosen, who resides at 2011 E Sinto pointed a gun at one of our staff members while she was disposing of the trash. This was the eighth incident where Mr. Crosen made threats to our staff or guests in recent weeks. The police were called and the Emergency Family Shelter was immediately put on lockdown. The police responded quickly and encircled the house at 2011 E Sinto and Mr. Crosen was taken into custody.
Although we do not know any motive at this time for his actions, Mr. Crosen, who flies a confederate flag at his home and who has made multiple derogatory comments about our guests and staff of color, did point his weapon at one of our black staff members tonight. We take threats against our staff and guests very seriously and intend to ensure justice is served.
We are grateful for the quick police response and thankful that no one was seriously injured in this very dangerous situation. We would like to commend our staff who stayed calm during the incident and performed our safety protocols perfectly to ensure everyone’s safety. We will be working in the days ahead to provide the staff and guests with the counseling and support they may need. Our guests and especially the children in our care were very frightened by this situation. We ask that the community keep our children, families and staff in your thoughts and prayers.
Further questions and comments can be directed towards Spokane Police or Joe Ader Executive Director of Family Promise of Spokane at 509-818-7587