Robert “Bob” Breck, the 80-year-old senior center resident accused of shooting three people at the center — one fatally — on Thursday, told police he’d had an ongoing feud with the 75-year-old man he killed, The Columbian reported.
A court affidavit revealed that Breck offered a summary of that feud with Dean Tunstall but did not provide those details. Breck said he “couldn’t take it anymore,” according to the affidavit filed in Clark County Superior Court in Washington.
Enelia Montoya, 73, also a resident of the building and a neighbor of Breck’s, and her caretaker, Shawne Garris, 44, were wounded during the shooting. One of the women was treated and released, a hospital spokesman said, and the other has been transferred to another facility with specialized care. The spokesman did not say which woman was released.
Garris was Breck’s caregiver until a few weeks ago, The Columbian reported. He offered her money to be his mistress, and she declined. Breck fired her a week later.
On the day of the shooting, Tunstall, Montoya, and Garris were talking in the lobby when Breck stepped off the elevator, the women told police. Breck confronted Tunstall about knowing Garris, which he denied, and then shot him in the chest. Montoya and Garris got up from their chairs to flee, but Breck shot them as well, Montoya twice and Garris in the back. Garris said she covered her head until Breck left the lobby, then called 911.
Breck went up to his apartment on the 13th floor, where negotiators got him on the phone. After about two hours, he surrendered. Detectives said security video in the lobby confirmed the accounts of Montoya and Garris.
According to the affidavit, both women said that Breck had been spreading rumors about Tunstall to other men in the building, but the affidavit did not detail those rumors. Montoya said she had spoken with Breck the day before the shooting and asked him to stop spreading rumors and that she’d told Tunstall to be careful because Garris had seen him with a gun.
The incident took place at Smith Tower, a 15-story with 170 units serving seniors 62 and older in Vancouver, Washington.
Breck has been charged with one count of first-degree murder and two counts of attempted first-degree murder. His arraignment is set for October 10.
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[Featured image: Smith Tower/Google Maps]
