Gary Bowers’ fatal shooting of Westin Wolff, 25, was officially ruled a justifiable homicide Wednesday by the Grays Harbor Prosecuting Attorney’s Office, Scott said.
Bowers, 38, “clearly felt that his life and his family’s life was in imminent danger” when he fired a single gunshot into Wolff’s chest, Scott said.
Wolff, wearing only his underwear and a T-shirt, had approached Bowers’ campsite late at night swinging the machete, Scott said.
Scott released these details of the sheriff’s investigation into Wolff’s fatal shooting:
• Earlier in the evening, Wolff was drinking bourbon, Scott said. “He consumed a significant amount of alcohol in a real short time,” Scott added.
• Wolff was camping with two friends, ages 16 and 25, in the Wynoochee Lake area on the date of the shooting. They had spent the day hiking and canoeing, Scott said.
• As the evening wore on, Wolff became belligerent and decided to go for a hike after midnight. Wolff’s 16-year-old friend accompanied him. Wolff inadvertently stumbled onto Bowers’ campsite, and they made a racket tripping over Bowers’ gear and other items that were left on the ground in the dark. Bowers, who was asleep in a tent with his wife and their two sons, ages 7 and 11, yelled at whomever was on the campsite to leave. When Bowers walked out of his tent, he was armed with a handgun and a lantern. Bowers fired a shot into the air to scare off the intruders.
• Scott said that while the 16-year-old was trying to get Wolff to leave, Wolff was “challenging” Bowers and refused to leave. Scott said Bowers fired two more shots in the air to get Wolff to leave the area. The 16-year-old left, and Wolff followed.
• When Wolff returned to his own campsite, he stripped down to his underwear and T-shirt and armed himself with a machete. He then ran back in the direction of Bowers’ campsite. Bowers, who was cleaning his campsite and taking inventory to see whether anything had been stolen, was surprised to see Wolff return out of the darkness, “stabbing at him” with an object that Bowers thought was a sword, Scott said. Bowers ordered Wolff to leave, and when Wolff was about to strike Bowers with the weapon, he fired a single round from his handgun at Wolff. The single bullet struck Wolff in the chest, and he died, Scott said.
Scott said it was “very clear” early on that the shooting was justifiable homicide.
Jeremy Pawloski: 360-754-5465
jpawloski@theolympian.com
