In the early hours of July 7, 2024, the life of 19-year-old Maria Kapustin, a White/Caucasian female, was tragically cut short in a burst of gunfire in North Central Spokane, Washington. Just before 1:30 a.m., Maria was with friends at a scenic overlook on West Courtland Avenue, a spot known as the "West View" overlooking Emerson Park. She was sitting on the hood of a friend's car when a 2012 Ford Fusion drove past.
Occupants of the vehicle fired at least seven shots toward the group, one of which struck Maria in the back. When Spokane police officers responded to calls of a possible drive-by shooting, they found Maria with a gunshot wound. Despite their efforts, she was pronounced dead at the scene. The Spokane County Medical Examiner later confirmed her cause of death as a gunshot wound to the torso and officially ruled it a homicide.
The investigation into the shooting revealed a backdrop of escalating violence between rival street gangs in Spokane. Detectives believe the shooting that killed Maria may have been in retaliation for a gang-related incident that occurred a month prior outside the NorthTown Mall. In the time leading up to her death, Maria had reportedly been targeted by a rival group. She had even captured cell phone video of an altercation where her car was kicked and damaged by individuals, one of whom was later identified as the primary suspect. Friends and witnesses reported that her car's headlights and windshield had been smashed and its tires slashed in a previous confrontation.
For eight months, the case remained without an arrest as the suspect had fled the state. The Spokane Police Department's investigation eventually led them to 19-year-old Couger L. Devereaux Jr. The car used in the shooting was found abandoned on the South Hill, riddled with bullet holes. It had been loaned to Devereaux by his boss, whom he contacted after the shooting but never met with before disappearing. Inside the vehicle, police discovered seven shell casings, and cell phone data connected to the car's navigation system placed Devereaux at the scene at the exact time of the murder. On March 18, 2025, after a lengthy manhunt involving the FBI, Devereaux was located and arrested over 1,000 miles away in Greeley, Colorado. He faces charges of second-degree murder and drive-by shooting and was awaiting extradition back to Washington to face justice for the death of Maria Kapustin.
