A Clark County man is facing an attempted murder charge after allegedly shooting a house guest whom he said sexually assaulted his minor teenage daughter in her bedroom.
Colby Lee Brown, 38, appeared Wednesday via Zoom in Clark County Superior Court on suspicion of attempted second-degree murder in the shooting, which occurred Jan. 27 at The Park at Mill Plain apartments.
The shooting victim is identified in court records as 38-year-old James Morgan Hedrick III. He suffered a gunshot wound to the abdomen and was admitted to the intensive care unit at a local hospital, court records show.
The facts of what led up to the shooting remain in dispute.
Hedrick denies having sexual contact with Brown’s daughter. And prior to Brown’s arrest Tuesday, Child Protective Services had been unable to locate the teen to hear her story, according to court records.
Senior Deputy Prosecutor Jeff McCarty said in an email Wednesday the investigation is ongoing.
Still, Brown’s court-appointed defense attorney, Sean Downs, argued that Brown was acting in defense of his daughter and made efforts to turn himself in to police. Brown was in contact with another attorney prior to his arrest.
Judge Suzan Clark set Brown’s bail at $100,000, half the amount the prosecution requested. He is scheduled to be arraigned Feb. 16.
Accounts differ
Vancouver police were called around 10:30 p.m. for a reported shooting at the apartments, 206 N.E. 126th Ave. The caller, who identified himself as “James,” said he had been shot. Shortly after, another man, who refused to identify himself, called 911 and said he shot someone at his apartment because his daughter had been sexually assaulted, according to an affidavit of probable cause.
Patrol officers arrived and found a wounded man, later identified as Hedrick, inside Brown’s apartment. He was taken to the hospital, and a .45 caliber bullet was recovered from his abdomen, the affidavit states.
Police said they found two spent .45 caliber casings inside the apartment.
Officers attempted to contact Brown but learned he and his daughter had fled in a vehicle. When reached by phone, Brown refused to meet with officers, but he said he was involved in the shooting and felt it was warranted. He said his daughter was not injured in the shooting, according to the affidavit.
“Colby indicated that he was fearful about meeting with me and wanted to spend time with (his daughter) before going to ‘prison,’” the officer wrote in the affidavit. The officer also wrote that Brown said he didn’t mean for the shooting to happen and was sorry.
Brown reportedly told police he felt responsible for what happened to his daughter because he had picked up Hedrick from a convenience store and brought him to his residence earlier in the day. Brown refused to say more. Officers attempted to contact him via phone for several days but were unsuccessful, court records say.
Hedrick told police in a phone interview that he met Brown at a convenience store. He said they discussed him potentially renting a room at Brown’s apartment after his daughter moved out, according to the affidavit.
While at Brown’s, Hedrick, Brown and a third man were inside an unattached garage that Brown rented, Hedrick said. Brown and the other man started to use heroin, Hedrick said, but he did not want to participate. So he returned to the apartment, which he thought was empty, the affidavit states.
Hedrick said he sat on a futon in the teen’s room, because that area of the apartment had the strongest internet connection for his phone. The girl then entered the room; Hedrick said they had no physical contact. Then, Brown entered the room with a pistol, Hedrick said, and accused him of trying to have sex with his daughter, court records say.
Hedrick said Brown fired what he thought was a warning shot, because it missed him, but then Brown shot him in the abdomen. The father and daughter then left, according to the affidavit.
A maintenance worker at the apartment complex told police that Brown told him Hedrick made sexual passes at his daughter. Brown had instructed her to remain in the apartment and leave her phone on speaker. Brown said the phone went quiet and then he heard, “If you scream, I will slit your throat,” according to the maintenance worker. Brown went into his daughter’s bedroom, the maintenance worker said, and found Hedrick assaulting her, court records state.
