Charges: Granite Falls gunman shot neighbor who was backing away

GRANITE FALLS — A deadly confrontation between Jason Philip Harrison and his neighbor earlier this month was captured on surveillance footage, according to new court papers filed in Snohomish County Superior Court.

The footage reportedly shows the neighbor, Jason Reeley, 48, backing away when Harrison shot him in the head.

Prosecutors charged Harrison, 32, with premeditated first-degree murder Friday.

Around 10:15 p.m. Aug. 5, home security cameras around a property in the 17900 block of 121st Street NE showed a man pull into a driveway, about 2 miles north of Granite Falls. That man, who would witness the confrontation, noticed an unknown man in a white pickup truck, later identified as Harrison, following him, according to the charges.

Harrison blocked the intersection of 179th Drive NE and 121st Street NE with his car, and got out of his vehicle, the court documents say. He immediately began yelling at the witness, shining a flashlight in his face.

The light appeared to be mounted on top of a rifle.

According to court papers, it is “clear from the footage” that Harrison approached the man with a rifle and pointed it at him, and that the man raised his hands in a “surrender” position. The witness reportedly told police Harrison was slurring his words, “yelling nonsense” and smelled of alcohol.

The confrontation went on for about 8½ minutes when Reeley left his nearby RV to join the two, court papers said.

Harrison pointed the beam of the flashlight at Reeley, according to the charges. The three did not appear to touch each other at any point.

The witness left the confrontation, walking back up the driveway. Harrison and Reeley continued yelling at each other, according to witness statements.

After about 11 seconds, Reeley backed away from the defendant. Harrison also took three steps backwards, the charges say.

Harrison unholstered a pistol from his left side, and raised both of his arms in a shooting position, according to the charges. Reeley “did not move” toward Harrison. The defendant then shot Reeley in the head with the pistol.

As Reeley lay on the ground, Harrison holstered his handgun and approached Reeley’s body, according to the charges. He reportedly looked at the man for about 10 seconds before walking away. Reeley was pronounced dead at the scene.

The Snohomish County Medical Examiner’s Office determined Reeley’s cause of death was a gunshot wound and the manner was homicide.

When Snohomish County sheriff’s deputies arrived, the defendant was in his pickup, wearing safety glasses common for firearm shooting protection, the charges say. Harrison was on the phone with his lawyer and drinking a can of Coors Light.

“I acted in self-defense against a tweaker that was coming at me,” Harrison reportedly told police. “Other than that, I wanna remain silent.”

Harrison’s girlfriend was also in the truck. She reportedly told officers she remained in Harrison’s car during the confrontation, according to the charges. Deputies discovered she was armed with a pistol attached with a red-dot sight.

Police interviewed neighbors about the shooting. One reported Harrison and his girlfriend’s mailbox had been stolen a couple of months before the confrontation. The neighbor exchanged Facebook messages with Harrison’s girlfriend the night of the shooting, prosecutors wrote.

“(Expletive) is about to go down here it’s getting real,” Harrison’s girlfriend said, according to the charges.

“What what happened,” the neighbor reportedly said.

“The (expletive) who stole our mailbox and is (robbing people) is at the tweakers house,” she said. “Jason is out there and he ain’t thrilled. I’m blocking the road.”

Harrison has no apparent felony criminal history.

At his bail hearing after the shooting, Everett District Court Commissioner Jennifer Millet found probable cause for second-degree murder and set bail at $500,000.

In the charges, prosecutors wrote that Harrison’s bail should be increased, arguing he “laid in wait” at a nearby intersection, wore firearm safety glasses “as if he was intending to fire his weapons,” and pointed a loaded rifle, unprovoked, at an innocent civilian before shooting his neighbor.

Harrison was released on bail at 1:35 p.m. Friday.

Superior Court Judge Karen Moore signed a warrant for his arrest on the same day, at 3:54 p.m., on the more serious allegation of first-degree murder.

Jonathan Tall: 425-339-3486; jonathan.tall@heraldnet.com; Twitter: @EDHJonTall.