GRAND COULEE, Wash. — Douglas County sheriff’s deputies responded to a shooting near Rufus Woods Lake on the Columbia River on June 18.
A group of five individuals reported that while they were in a boat, shots were fired at them from the Douglas County shoreline.
According to the Douglas County Sheriff’s Office (DCSO), a 41-year-old property owner had fired a hunting rifle toward the boat.
Investigators said he admitted to shooting at the boat to scare the occupants away after being alerted by a neighbor that the individuals on the boat had fired a weapon.
The victims explained they were fishing and carrying a firearm for predator control and that the firearm was accidentally bumped inside the boat, DCSO said.
To ensure safety, investigators said one of the occupants claimed to have fired the gun in a safe location to verify its accuracy before being fired upon from the shore.
The property owner was arrested and charged with five counts of Assault in the First Degree. He was booked into the Chelan County Regional Justice Center.
