The Clark County Medical Examiner’s Office identified the victims in two August shootings in Vancouver and ruled they were homicides.
John A. Murphy, 73, of Vancouver was fatally shot Aug. 9 in one of two shootings that Vancouver police responded to that night. The Medical Examiner’s Office stated Murphy’s cause of death was a gunshot wound to the chest and said he was shot by someone else. The ruling does not make any judgments about criminal culpability.
Vancouver police responded around 10:25 p.m. to the Columbia View Apartments, 4801 E. Fifth St., for a report of a shooting, according to a news release from police. Residents reported hearing multiple gunshots.
In the parking lot, responding officers found an adult male who had been shot, now identified as Murphy. He was taken to the hospital but did not survive his injuries, according to Vancouver police.
While police were still interviewing witnesses, they were tapped to respond to another shooting.
The second shooting occurred around 10:46 p.m. at 4601 N.E. 18th St. Callers reported someone was shooting at a vehicle.
When officers arrived, they found the victim still in his vehicle. The man was taken to a hospital in critical condition, according to police.
Detectives with Vancouver police’s Major Crime Unit said they didn’t immediately know if the incidents were connected.
Aug. 29 shooting
Tyler R. Harris, 28, of Vancouver died of a gunshot wound to the head, according to the medical examiner, on Aug. 29. His death was also ruled a homicide.
Officers responded at about 11:45 p.m. for a call of suspicious circumstances in the 3500 block of Northeast 50th Court in the Bagley Downs neighborhood, according to a police department news release.
An area resident said they heard a loud noise and saw their neighbor lying in the doorway of his residence, the news release states. Arriving officers determined the man was dead, police said.
The Major Crimes Unit is still investigating these shootings, and Vancouver police said officers have not made any arrests.
