A Vancouver man who allegedly ran down a pedestrian with his pickup, seriously injuring the man, appeared Wednesday in Clark County Superior Court.
Brandon K. Gorham, 31, appeared on suspicion of attempted murder in connection with the Saturday incident in the Vancouver Heights neighborhood.
Dispatch received a 911 call at about 5:15 p.m. Saturday about a hit-and-run on North Garrison Road and Tennessee Lane. The responding officer said a pedestrian, later identified as Zachery Lucore, 27, was taken by ambulance to PeaceHealth Southwest Medical Center. Paramedics told the officer that Lucore was in and out of consciousness, according to a probable cause affidavit.
Lucore suffered fractures to his pelvis, face, ribs and spine, a collapsed lung, and abrasions all over his body, the affidavit said.
A witness, Javier Diaz, said he was in the 7000 block of Tennessee Lane when he saw a black or primer-colored Ford pickup traveling northwest at high speed. The pickup turned right onto North Garrison Road, running the stop sign, and struck Lucore, who was walking along the road.
The pickup never attempted to slow down before striking Lucore, Diaz said, and it appeared Lucore was struck by the front of the vehicle and was then run over, court records state.
Another witness, Adriana Garcia, said she was driving southwest in the 200 block of North Garrison Road when she saw the pickup traveling at high speed. Garcia said she had to swerve to the right side of the road to avoid colliding with the vehicle, which had come into her lane. It wasn’t until the pickup passed, she said, that she saw a pedestrian lying in the road, according to court documents. The pickup continued traveling northeast on North Garrison Road and then turned right onto Delaware Lane.
An officer contacted Lucore at the emergency room, but he was barely able to speak, the affidavit said, and could remember little of what happened.
Police again contacted him at the hospital Tuesday, and he was alert and able to provide some information. Lucore said he had gone to visit a friend who lives in the 100 block of Fredericksburg Way. The friend wasn’t home when he arrived, however, so he stood outside waiting, court records said.
A man who lives across the street began yelling at Lucore. He said he didn’t know the man, later identified by police as Gorham, or why he was yelling at him. They then got into an argument, and Gorham said, “I’m going to run you over with my truck,” the affidavit states.
Lucore told police he warned Gorham that he carries a pocket knife, and the man left and got into his pickup. Lucore started to walk down the road, he said, and that is the last thing he remembers, according to court documents.
Officers responded to the 100 block of Fredericksburg Way and located a primer-colored Ford F-250 pickup parked in a driveway. A friend of Gorham’s was contacted outside the residence and confirmed the truck belongs to Gorham. He said Gorham had told him he chased a guy down in his truck Saturday, but didn’t say he hit him, court records said.
Gorham’s mother, Helene Gurinette, told police that Gorham had been yelling at a “kid” across the street. Gorham reportedly thought the kid was someone he knew. Gurinette said she told Gorham that it wasn’t the person he thought it was, but he wouldn’t listen. He had been drinking all day, she said. He then jumped into his truck and took off after Lucore, she said, and when he came home, he didn’t say what happened, according to the affidavit.
Gurinette told police her son has a drinking problem, court documents show.
According to the prosecution, Gorham has convictions for being a minor in possession, driving while under the influence, driving with a suspended license and hit-and-run.
Gorham appeared Wednesday wearing a suicide-prevention smock — given to prisoners who may try to harm themselves with standard jail clothing. He refused to be screened for a court-appointed attorney. He told the court that he hasn’t had a chance to call his family to see if they will hire him an attorney. Gorham is employed as a painter, he said, but he wouldn’t say on the record how much he makes. He acknowledged that he will likely be terminated from his job.
Judge Scott Collier set his bail at $250,000. Gorham will be arraigned Sept. 28.
