Man shot during home invasion

SANDPOINT - Three people were arrested after an 11-hour standoff early Tuesday morning in connection with an earlier home-invasion robbery in which an Elmira man was shot in the face.

Bonner County Sheriff's Det. Sgt. Gary Johnston said the 57-year-old shooting victim suffered a superficial gunshot wound and the investigation led them to a residence in the 600 block of north Ella Avenue in Sandpoint on Monday.

One of the suspects surrendered to authorities, while two others were removed from the home by the sheriff's Emergency Response Team, Johnston said.

Joseph Eugene Cleveland, 18; Jonathan Lee Comstock, 22; and Joseph Vencil Kluck Jr., also 22, were arrested in connection with the attack.

Both Kluck and Cleveland are charged with robbery and second-degree kidnapping, and Comstock is charged with robbery. Kluck faces an additional charge of attempted murder, according to Bonner County Prosecutor Louis Marshall.

The trio is expected to make initial appearances today in the magistrate division of 1st District Court.

What exactly brought the men to the Elmira residence at approximately 5:30 a.m. on Monday morning was still being investigated, although Johnston said it could prove to be a case of mistaken identity.

The three men went to the home apparently looking for someone else and planned to rob the person of cash, drugs and guns. The suspects, who wore masks and at least one of whom was armed with a gun, entered the home and bound the victim.

"They got some personal property, but not necessarily what they were looking for," said Johnston.

The shooting occurred when the victim mistakenly believed his assailants had left the property, Johnston said.

"He thought the suspects were gone," said Johnston.

Several shots were fired into the residence from outside, one of which struck the victim, Johnston said.

After tracking the suspects to the Ella Avenue residence, Sandpoint Police and Fire officials cordoned off the area with vehicles and the sheriff's office put out a notification urging residents to steer clear.

One suspect surrendered while two others remained holed up inside the residence.

"They were rooted out by tactics used by the emergency response team," Johnston said.

There were no injuries during the standoff.

"It's a good outcome and it's good for the citizens of Bonner County," Sheriff Daryl Wheeler said of the arrests and the peaceful end to the standoff.