Repeat Domestic Violence Offender Michael James Andrews Sentenced to 15 Years for Shooting His Partner on the Spokane Indian Reservation
The U.S. Attorney's Office for the Eastern District of Washington announced that Michael James Andrews, of the Spokane Indian Reservation in Washington state, was sentenced by U.S. District Judge Mary K. Dimke to 180 months (15 years) in federal prison, followed by five years of supervised release, for assaulting and shooting his intimate partner on the reservation. The sentence was imposed on October 14, 2026, and announced on October 27.
According to court documents, on September 18, 2024, Andrews pistol-whipped and shot at his intimate partner inside their shared residence on the Spokane Indian Reservation. Andrews, a convicted felon, was prohibited from possessing a firearm. He then attempted to obstruct justice by asking potential witnesses not to speak to law enforcement and by using a family member to hide the firearm used in the assault.
A jury convicted Andrews of assault resulting in substantial bodily injury to an intimate and dating partner in Indian Country, assault with a dangerous weapon in Indian Country, and using, brandishing, and discharging a firearm during a crime of violence. At sentencing, Judge Dimke noted Andrews' history of assault-related convictions, including a previous federal felony conviction, and that he had been charged by the Spokane Tribe of Indians with domestic violence offenses on numerous occasions. The judge described his conduct as a "reign of terror over the community" and said the sentence would put a stop to it.
First Assistant U.S. Attorney Pete Serrano said the prosecution affirms the duty to fight for victims whose safety has been threatened time and again. W. Mike Herrington, Special Agent in Charge of the FBI's Seattle field office, said the victim was attacked in her own home by a partner who should have cared about her wellbeing. The case was investigated by the FBI and the Spokane Tribal Police Department and prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Michael J. Ellis and Michael L. Vander Giessen. The case number is 2:24-cr-00139-MKD.
Related: D.C. Man Sentenced to 20 Years for Shooting Death of His Girlfriend
Source: GSM · USA (original Chinese edition)
Photo: 位于Spokane的Thomas S. Foley美国联邦法院大楼（本案量刑法院所在地）。照片：Warren LeMay，CC BY-SA 2.0，经Wikimedia Commons。当事人无官方照片，以法院标准建筑图代之。
