GRANITE FALLS — Sheriff’s deputies arrested a man Saturday night for investigation of murder, after he reportedly confronted a neighbor and shot him to death north of Granite Falls.
Around 10:30 p.m., witnesses called 911 to report screaming and a gunshot in the 17900 block of 121st Street NE, about 2 miles outside of the city.
A witness told deputies that moments before the shooting, he parked his car in a driveway. When he exited, he was confronted by an “unknown male” near the cul-de-sac, armed with a pistol and a rifle, according to a police report filed in Everett District Court. The armed man, later identified as Jason Philip Harrison, 32, yelled at the witness to “show himself.”
A 48-year-old man lived in a trailer near the cul-de-sac, according to the police report. That neighbor left his home to help the witness. The witness reported the two got into an argument.
The witness “dismissed himself” and began walking up the driveway, according to the report. He heard the shouting continue, then a single gunshot. The witness went back down the driveway and saw the neighbor had been shot, while Harrison was gone, according to the report.
The 48-year-old man was pronounced dead at the scene. He hadn’t been publicly identified Monday.
The witness told police he “did not see or have direct knowledge” of what happened immediately prior to the gunshot, deputies wrote.
When Snohomish County sheriff’s deputies arrived, Harrison was in his truck not far away and on the phone with a lawyer. His girlfriend and another man were also in the truck, according to the report.
Deputies wrote that Harrison armed himself with the “intent to confront an occupant.” According to the report, witnesses exchanged Facebook messages prior to the shooting that suggested Harrison started the confrontation because he believed someone had stolen something.
A 9 mm handgun and a rifle were visible in the vehicle, the report said. The alleged gunman reportedly admitted to the shooting, claiming it was self-defense. Deputies arrested him for investigation of second-degree murder.
Harrison has no apparent felony criminal history. In court Monday, prosecutors requested a no-contact order for his girlfriend, arguing the investigation is “very fresh” and Harrison’s girlfriend may be a co-defendant in the case.
Everett District Court Commissioner Jennifer Millett accepted the recommendation. She found probable cause for the murder charge and set bail at $500,000.
Jonathan Tall: 425-339-3486; jonathan.tall@heraldnet.com; Twitter: @EDHJonTall.
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