A Vancouver man accused in a fatal shooting at an apartment in Northeast Hazel Dell early Monday morning told investigators that he and the victim had been drinking and playing with a handgun.
The Clark County medical examiner identified the victim on Tuesday as 22-year-old Dayton S. Miller of Vancouver.
Miller was killed by a gunshot wound to the head, according to the medical examiner’s office. His manner of death was listed as homicide, meaning it resulted from another person’s deliberate action. The ruling does not make any judgments about criminal culpability.
Korbin Andrew Bourn, 20, is facing allegations of first-degree manslaughter and first-degree unlawful possession of a firearm in Clark County Superior Court. He was supposed to appear in court via video conference Tuesday morning, but due to an unusually long docket and time constraints, the hearing was held without him.
Bourn was appointed a defense attorney, and his bail was set at $500,000. He will be arraigned Friday.
Clark County sheriff’s deputies responded about 1:50 a.m. Monday to a shooting at Teal Pointe apartments, 10405 N.E. Ninth Ave. Upon arrival, they found Miller dead inside an apartment bedroom. Deputies noted a single gunshot wound to his forehead and a small-caliber firearm under his hands, according to an affidavit of probable cause.
A witness told detectives that Bourn and Miller had taken turns pointing the gun at each others’ heads. When Bourn held the gun to Miller’s head, the weapon fired, killing Miller, the affidavit says.
Bourn told investigators that he believed the weapon was unloaded, the court document states.
Miller had held the gun to Bourn’s head, and Bourn heard a click, he said. He thought Miller had pulled the trigger. When Miller handed the gun to Bourn, he pointed it at Miller’s head and pulled the trigger. He said he didn’t expect the gun to fire, according to court records.
Bourn then placed the gun under Miller’s hand, he said, and instructed others present to say Miller shot himself. He admitted to being a convicted felon and was told he wasn’t allowed to handle firearms, the affidavit says.
