A 31-year-old Vancouver man made his first appearance in Clark County Superior Court on Monday following his arrest in the fatal shooting a man who had been listening to loud music inside of his car.
Chris D. Paul called 911 at 4:50 a.m. March 3 and said he’d left his apartment to respond to noise in the parking lot of Village at Cascade Park, 501 S.E. 132nd Ave.
Paul reportedly told authorities he shot a man with a handgun during the altercation.
Senior Deputy Prosecutor Alan Harvey said Paul faces a charge of first-degree murder.
Judge Dan Stahnke set bail at $1 million and appointed Matthew Hoff to represent Paul.
Arraignment was set for Friday.
The victim was identified Monday as Eric A. Walswick, who lived in the complex. Walswick died March 3 from his injuries at PeaceHealth Southwest Medical Center.
According to court documents, March 3 was not the first time Paul or his wife, Jenelle, had been upset about Walswick’s music.
Jenelle Paul called 911 at 2 a.m. on Feb. 29 to complain about Walswick listening to loud music inside of his car.
Early March 3, Walswick was again in his car, listening to music.
According to a probable cause affidavit written by Detective John Ringo of the Vancouver Police Department, Chris Paul “told the 911 dispatcher that after knocking on the car window, the subject exited and ‘charged him.’ “
Authorities released little information on Walswick, who is believed to have been 26 years old.
After being contacted by police officers, Paul declined to provide a statement, Ringo wrote.
“He did state on the way to the precinct that he was ‘afraid for his life,’ but provided no other information,” Ringo wrote.
According to court documents, Paul had been living in Vancouver for eight months and previously lived in Woodland. At the time of his arrest, he was working as a clerk at Fred Meyer in east Vancouver.
He has no criminal history.
Stephanie Rice: 360-735-4548 or stephanie.rice@columbian.com.
