Teens charged in Coeur d'Alene gas station shooting
A Coeur d'Alene Police vehicle blocked the entrance as police investigated the scene of a shooting at the 76 station at the intersection of Northwest and Appleway.
HAILEY HILL/Press
COEUR d’ALENE — Two teens are facing criminal charges after a dispute over jewelry culminated in a shooting at a gas station last week, police said.
Nathaniel S. Mendenhall, 19, of Coeur d’Alene, is charged with aggravated battery and aggravated assault. Fausto R. Labonte-Lovato, 18, of Spokane, is charged with grand theft.
The charges stem from Friday afternoon, when police said Labonte-Lovato traveled to Coeur d’Alene with another person in order to purchase $60 worth of jewelry from Mendenhall.
The individuals agreed to meet at the 76 gas station on Appleway Avenue. Once there, police said, Labonte-Lovato took the jewelry and tried to leave without paying Mendenhall.
“As Labonte-Lovato and the driver were driving away, Mendenhall fired several shots, striking the driver two times, preventing him from leaving,” Coeur d’Alene police said in a news release Monday.
The driver was transported to Kootenai Health, where he is in stable condition, according to police. He is not facing any charges.
As of Monday evening, Mendenhall remained in the Kootenai County Jail on $50,000 bail. Labonte-Lovato is being held on $10,000 bail.
Anyone who may have been at the 76 gas station when this occurred and has information related to this incident is encouraged to contact the Coeur d’Alene Police Department.