EVERETT — A Gold Bar man may have been suffering a mental health crisis when he opened fire inside his home last month.
The man’s wife, 79, was injured in the shooting. She called 911 during the early morning of Nov. 12 to report that her husband had a gun. She struggled to hear the dispatcher, who could hear gunfire during the call. The woman told the dispatcher she was going to attempt to leave the house.
Snohomish County deputies found the wounded woman inside. She was able to exit the house and reported that her husband, Thomas Giles, was likely on the deck. Deputies found Giles, 68, face down with his arms splayed out. He was motionless but eventually was roused by their commands.
Deputies discovered shattered windows and bullet holes in walls.
Giles allegedly told police he’d been firing through a window into the front yard, Snohomish County deputy prosecutor Francesca Yahyavi wrote in charging papers. The Gold Bar man said he’d been shooting at assassins, whom he had overheard conspiring to kill “the alcoholic and the fat one” and turn them into “patsies” and “Trump chumps,” according to court papers.
Giles told deputies he believed the assassins would have succeeded in killing him but someone intervened on his behalf. He told police he’d been approached by a woman with a shotgun. He explained that he’d been commanded by the “good police” to unload his firearms and “prone out” on the deck.
Deputies suspected that Giles was drunk during the shooting spree.
Prosecutors have charged Giles with first-degree domestic violence assault with a weapon. A judge has ordered Giles to undergo a mental health evaluation to determine if he is able to assist with his own defense.
His wife told police that she had awoken to the sound of gunfire. She didn’t recall being shot. It appeared to deputies on scene that she’d been hit at least once. The woman told police that Giles had been upset with her because she refused to buy him vodka and had taken his keys to prevent him from driving.
Deputies found a military-style rifle and a semiautomatic pistol in a loft area. They also discovered a room in the basement that contained dozens of collectible military rifles and pistols.
“All firearms located in the Giles’ home have been removed,” Yahyavi wrote in court papers.
Diana Hefley: 425-339-3463; hefley@heraldnet.com.
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