A judge set bail at $1 million for a Yacolt man accused of shooting a housemate and tenant in the head following arguments about him moving out.
Jeremie R. Singer, 50, appeared Wednesday in Clark County Superior Court on suspicion of attempted first-degree domestic violence murder and second-degree unlawful possession of a firearm. He is scheduled to be arraigned Oct. 23.
Singer’s defense attorney, Michele Michalek, said Singer acted in self-defense. She called the victim, Dominique Stewart, and his family squatters on Singer’s property.
Stewart’s wife, Alyssa Stewart, said she’s only known Singer a few months and that her husband will never be the same because of the shooting.
Clark County sheriff’s deputies responded at 8:20 p.m. Tuesday to reports of a disturbance with a weapon in the 18600 block of Northeast Beaver Brook Circle. Alyssa Stewart called 911 to report her husband was shot in the head by Singer, according to a probable cause affidavit.
She had driven Dominique Stewart away from the house to the area of Northeast Fargher Lake Highway, according to a sheriff’s office news release.
Deputies met the couple there, and they found Dominique Stewart with a gunshot wound to his head. He was taken by ambulance to PeaceHealth Southwest Medical Center in Vancouver. Dominique Stewart told a deputy who rode in the ambulance with him that Singer shot him, but he didn’t know why, court records state.
Investigators later learned Dominique Stewart suffered a collapsed lung and lost one of his eyes. They said he appeared to have birdshot pellets all over the right side of his face and upper chest, according to the affidavit. The sheriff’s office news release said he remained in serious but stable condition Wednesday.
Deputies responded to the house with armored vehicles and drones. They called out to the residents and detained Singer, along with several other residents, the news release states.
Deputies had responded to the house days prior and took an informational report about a landlord-tenant dispute between the two families. They learned that both Singer and Dominique Stewart had made threats against each other, the agency said.
Alyssa Stewart told investigators she and her husband had left the house following an argument with Singer. She said Singer had left out bullets, which she believed was meant as a threat, court records state.
The woman said she and her husband returned to the house Tuesday, and she stayed in the car with her child while Dominique Stewart went to the house, according to the affidavit.
When Dominique Stewart knocked on the door, she said Singer shot her husband while he stood on the front porch. She said Singer then came outside still armed with a long gun and said something to the effect of, “You messed with the wrong one,” the affidavit states.
Deputies noted one of the house’s windows was broken, and there was a trail of blood on the front porch. They learned from the other residents that Singer allowed the Stewarts to live at the house temporarily. The residents said Singer told the couple to leave, but they refused and told Singer he’d have to evict them, according to court records.
The other residents said Singer got a call Tuesday from someone who told him that Dominique Stewart had been posting on social media that he was having issues with people at the house. He allegedly said he murdered everyone there and was going to leave town, the affidavit states.
They said that’s when Singer retrieved his shotgun and loaded it. When the Stewarts showed up, a resident said he heard Singer tell Dominique Stewart to leave before Singer fired the shotgun once through the window, according to court records.
Once the Stewarts left, Singer began freaking out, the resident said, and he moved multiple guns possibly into a safe. The resident then saw Singer messing with a camera that faced the front door, possibly deleting footage, the affidavit states.
In an interview with deputies, Singer admitted to shooting Dominique Stewart with a shotgun but said it was after the man banged aggressively on the doors and windows. Singer said he felt Dominique Stewart was capable of hurting his family based on the phone call about the social media posts, according to court records.
Deputies noted Singer’s former wife had a restraining order against him, which prohibited him from possessing firearms. Singer’s attorney said during Wednesday’s hearing that the order had been dismissed, and there should’ve been no prohibition against Singer possessing firearms.
