A 26-year-old Woodland man has been arrested in connection with the Saturday stabbing death of Jennie Brill, 42, of Vancouver.
Neal C. Kelly is in custody for one count of first-degree murder, one count of first-degree attempted murder, two counts of second-degree assault and one count of third-degree assault.
Sterling Shaver, 34, of Woodland was injured in the attack and is in critical condition in the intensive car unit at PeaceHealth Southwest Medical Center.
Deputies were called about 4 a.m. to a report of a disturbance with a weapon at 8707 N.E. 89th Ave., in the Sunnyside neighborhood northeast of Padden Parkway and Interstate 205, Clark County Sheriff’s Office Sgt. Duncan Hoss said.
When deputies arrived, they confronted a man outside the house. He ran inside, deputies pursued and a prolonged fight ensued, according to a sheriff’s office press release.
Inside the house, deputies found Brill and Shaver, both with stab wounds.
Authorities said Brill was pronounced dead at the scene; both men were taken to a local hospital.
Deputy Eric Cramer suffered an injured hand during the apprehension of Kelly and is expected to make a full recovery.
Neither of the victims lived at the house, Hoss said.
Information on the motivation for the crime is not being released, Hoss said.
Detectives stayed on the scene throughout the day Saturday, working to determine what happened during the predawn altercation. The front window of the two-story house was broken out, as was the back window of an SUV parked in the driveway. Part of the residential street was blocked off to traffic while detectives collected evidence.
The house is owned by John McKee and Alisha Lowe, according to Clark County property records, and it was the subject of a drug raid this year at which McKee and two other people were arrested. Investigators with the Clark-Vancouver Regional Drug Task Force arranged to purchase drugs and served two search warrants on Feb. 28.
During that search, law enforcement seized heroin, methamphetamine, hallucinogenic mushrooms, morphine, ecstasy, fentanyl, suboxone, dilaudid, oxycodone, adderall, methadone and lidocaine.
The case resulted in the arrest of McKee, 27, on suspicion of delivering a controlled substance, possessing a controlled substance with intent to deliver and possessing a controlled substance.
Hoss said Saturday he did not know if drugs were involved in the Saturday-morning altercation.
