CLARKSTON, WA – A 76-year-old Clarkston man was arrested and booked into the Asotin County Jail after he allegedly shot and killed his next-door neighbor last night in the 1200 block of Ash Street. According to a Probable Cause Affidavit, David E. Boyd called 911 at 8:59 p.m. and told a dispatcher that he had shot and killed 53-year-old Chad VanScotter. He reportedly added that he had returned to his residence, set the .38 Special handgun down, and was waiting for police to arrive.
Boyd made his first appearance in Asotin County Superior Court this afternoon. He will be arraigned on Monday.
The court document says Boyd was upset that VanScotter had bullied him for several months by playing loud music, resulting in Boyd not being able to sleep. It adds that he allegedly went to VanScotter’s apartment to confront him, and when the door was opened, the alleged victim swung a long stick at Boyd, striking him in the head. Boyd then allegedly shot VanScotter.
“David stated he was totally stressed out by Chad doing this for so long. David advised Chad is a “bully” and [he] is scared of him. David advised he “lost it” and couldn’t take it anymore,” the affidavit says.
Boyd reportedly told an investigator that when he returned to his apartment, he had planned to shoot himself but couldn’t bring himself to do it, so he called 911.
“I asked David why he was going to shoot himself and he advised that he is 76 years old and does not want to spend the rest of his life in prison,” the affidavit says.
The court document says Boyd told police that he had called to report his neighbor for noise disturbances before this incident, but the police “can never do anything about it.”
During a search of Boyd’s apartment, the affidavit says police located a notebook with a handwritten note that said: “This ass hole has pushed me past my limit I’m going to kill him and then myself I can’t anymore note in bedroom.” Police then found additional notes in the bedroom with instructions if he was found deceased. During a follow-up interview, Boyd reportedly told the investigator that he had written those about 10 months prior when he was experiencing health issues. As for the first note, Boyd “advised that he thinks he wrote it earlier in the day because he just wouldn’t leave me alone.”
The affidavit adds that VanScotter was shot twice in the chest and once in the forehead.
