OKANOGAN — A 57-year-old Seattle man was charged Monday with second-degree murder and reckless endangerment in the shooting death of well-known recording engineer Tom Pfaeffle in Twisp.
Kino Michael Gomez is in Okanogan County Jail on $100,000 bail. His arraignment is set for July 30.
Twisp police arrested Gomez on Friday after they said he shot through the door of his room at the Blue Spruce Motel.
A bullet hit Pfaeffle, who was checking into the motel and tried putting the key into the wrong door.
Gomez’s attorney, Michael Haas, on Monday told Okanogan County Superior Court Judge Jack Burchard that Gomez was sleeping with two 40-caliber Glock handguns and began shooting when he awoke and thought someone was coming into his room.
Prosecutors sought $500,000 bail. Burchard set bail at $100,000, agreeing with Haas’ request for lower bail by saying Gomez seemed to be a fairly responsible person, according to the Chronicle.
Emergency help was on the scene within minutes of the 10:42 p.m. 911 call, said Twisp Police Chief Rick Balam. A report in The World on Monday quoted a family friend saying it took an ambulance nearly two hours to get Pfaeffle to Mid-Valley Hospital in Omak.
A check with Okanogan County Sheriff’s Office dispatchers showed an Aero Methow Rescue Service arrived at the hospital with Pfaeffle one hour and four minutes after the initial call. Pfaeffle died at the hospital two hours after the shooting.
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