Two charged in murder attempt

Cheney police are still on the trail of a third suspect wanted in the attempted murder of a Eastern Washington University student that took place in the early morning hours of Oct. 8 at The Grove apartment complex on Cheney-Spangle Road.

Cheney Police Chief John Hensley said according to the investigator's report, the department received multiple 9-1-1 calls at approximately 1:06 a.m. of a violent altercation taking place at the complex on the city's eastern limits. Officers responded and found 20-year-old Robert D. "Drew" Schreiber "semi-conscious and breathing" at the entrance to the complex. Schreiber was taken to Providence Sacred Heart Medical Center where he has been placed in a medically-induced coma.

After an investigation, police subsequently arrested 24-year-old John T. Melgren on Oct. 14 and 20-year-old Damian C. Dunigan the following day. Both men were booked into Spokane County Jail on charges of attempted murder.

Hensley said they haven't yet been able to piece together a motive for what he called a "barbaric attack." According to investigators, the altercation began with a verbal exchange between a car Melgren and Dunigan were in and Schreiber, who was yelling at them from a second-floor apartment.

Hensley said Schreiber then jumped out of the apartment window, ran to the rear of the vehicle, a dark gray Nissan Altima, where he climbed up on the trunk and smashed the rear window glass. The vehicle then stopped, upon which Schreiber ran across the roof and front hood and fled the scene, chased by three individuals from the car.

The three men, two of which were identified as Melgren and Dunigan, cornered Schreiber near basketball courts in a courtyard where they beat him with their fists and feet. The three then left the courtyard and returned to the vehicle to retrieve a metal bat.

When they came back to the courtyard, Schreiber was gone. Hensley said witnesses then heard the three men yelling in the courtyard "somebody better give him (Schreiber) up or we're going to start smashing windows."

Meanwhile, Schreiber, a distance runner with the EWU track team, had vaulted up some stairs to a third-floor apartment and was banging on the door attempting to be let in. The three men heard the banging, ascended the stairs and confronted him on the landing, where he was able to get past them again.

The three followed in pursuit, cornering Schreiber near the entrance. The individual with the bat struck Schreiber, knocking him to the ground where the suspect struck him again 3-4 times in the head and torso while the other two kicked him in the same areas.

Cheney investigator Detective Justin Hobbs said in the report that the force of the blows of the bat were enough to bend it.

The trio then tried to hide the vehicle by parking it in another part of the complex, and then fled the scene in another vehicle that Hensley thinks was accompanying them. When police arrived, they began interviewing witnesses and searched for the car.

"And we did find it of course, because we've got it," Hensley said.

Police also took a report that a firearm might also have been involved, and eventually did find a gun with the serial number removed. Police ran the plates on the Nissan and traced it to Melgren, who Hensley said does not have a driver's license.

Hensley said Melgren was contacted and asked to come retrieve his vehicle. When he did so on Oct. 14, police discovered Schreiber's blood on his shoes and he was arrested.

Schreiber's coach at EWU, Chris Shane, said Monday afternoon that the junior was still in serious condition without a lot of progress being made. He described the runner from Yakima, who transferred to Eastern from the University of Washington last spring as "incredibly talented, just a rising star" who had yet to reach his potential.

"What we're really trying to do is rally the team around him and his family," Shane said. "It's tragic what happened, but what we're really trying to focus on is supporting the family, just prayers, good vibes and energy."

Hensley praised the investigative work of Hobbs, who had a lot of witness reports and evidence to sift through.

"People didn't close up and say, 'I didn't hear anything or see anything,'" Hensley said. "We got some really good information."

Hensley said they have information on the third suspect in the case, and are currently running down leads to find him.

John McCallum can be reached at [email protected].