Police searching for motives in Moscow shootings

MOSCOW - The man accused in Saturday's deadly shootings in Moscow will face charges of murder and attempted murder, according to Moscow Police Chief David Duke.

John Lee, 29, of Moscow, is being held at the Whitman County Jail in Colfax after a shooting spree left three dead and one injured Saturday afternoon. The arrest warrants coming from the Latah County Prosecutor's Office include three counts of first-degree murder and one count of attempted first-degree murder.

David Trail, 76, Belinda Niebuhr, 47, and Lee's adoptive mother, Terri Grzebielski, 61, all of Moscow, were shot and killed. Michael Chin, 39, of Seattle, suffered gunshot wounds to his left arm and left leg.

Duke said Sunday that Chin's condition has improved. He was transported to Gritman Medical Center Saturday afternoon, but hospital staff declined to comment on his condition Sunday. Duke said police had been told Chin was transferred to a hospital in Spokane, where he was expected to be stable enough to move out of the intensive care unit later Sunday.

Police were also able to obtain search warrants for Lee's apartment and his car. They conducted searches around 11 p.m. Saturday and recovered five guns from Lee's car. Two were semi-automatic handguns, one was a revolver, one was a shotgun and one was a rifle. It is not yet known if any of the firearms matched the one Lee allegedly used in the shootings, but Duke said police will conduct examinations to verify which was used.

Duke said there were very few items in Lee's apartment when police searched it.

"Nothing of significance was located in the apartment, but it did appear that Mr. Lee was moving out," Duke said.

The motive for the shootings, which took place at three locations - 303 E. Third St., at the Moscow Arby's and at the residence of Grzebielski in the 400 block of Veatch Street - is still unknown. Duke confirmed that Trail was Lee's landlord and that Lee knew Niebuhr, the manager at the Arby's at 150 Peterson Drive.

"The family did say that they frequented Arby's, and that the parents knew Belinda (Niebuhr) from their encounters at the restaurant," Duke said.

Lee asked to see the manager when he arrived at the restaurant around 2:40 p.m. Saturday.

"Belinda (Niebuhr) did come out. He recognized her and he only targeted her," Duke said.

There were no customers there at the time, Duke said, but there were four other staff members.

Lee has been living in Moscow for a little less than two years, Duke said. Previously, he had been living in Omaha, Neb., where he changed his name from Cain Grzebielski. Lee is originally from Moscow.

Lee has no criminal history in Idaho, Duke said. His only involvements with police include minor traffic infractions.

Duke said Lee's first appearance in court in Latah County has not yet been set. He's being held in Whitman County on a charge of eluding, a felony, after allegedly leading police on a high-speed chase along U.S. Highway 195. Lee will have to appear in court in Whitman County before he appears in court in Latah County.

Whitman County officials have been notified of the arrest warrants coming out of Latah County, Duke said, so that the extradition process can get started.

The investigation is continuing, and police are asking anyone with information about Lee to contact investigators at (208) 883-7054.

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Embree may be contacted at cembree@lmtribune.com or (208) 848-2278.