A North Whidbey man is accused of shooting and killing a roommate he apparently blamed for a breakup with his girlfriend on Oct. 11, according to the Island County Sheriff’s Office.
The victim, 40-year-old William Wright, succumbed to his injuries at the scene of the shooting. The suspect, 38-year-old Bret J. Bartlett, allegedly shot Wright at least six times with an AR-15 rifle, according to a report by a detective with the sheriff’s office.
Bartlett made his preliminary appearance in Island County Superior Court on Oct. 12. Judge Christon Skinner found probable cause exists to believe Bartlett may have committed the crime of murder in the first degree and unlawful possession of a firearm in the second degree.
Skinner ordered Barlett to be held in jail in lieu of a $1 million bail bond.
Detective Ed Wallace said the group of four men and a woman were living in a large shop building with separate rooms on acreage on Cerullo Drive north of Oak Harbor. At about 2:23 p.m., deputies responded to 911 report of a shooting.
The deputies arrived to find Wright on the ground with multiple gunshot wounds; two other men were restraining Bartlett on the ground, according to Wallace’s report on the shooting. The deputies attempted life saving measures on Wright, but the injuries were too grave. Bartlett was taken into custody.
One of the men who lived at the home explained to deputies that Wright and Bartlett had gotten into a verbal argument the week prior over some remarks that Bartlett made to his girlfriend. Bartlett had upset his girlfriend and Wright intervened. Afterward, Bartlett got out rifle and threatened Wright, saying he shoot him “in the head and chest and not even think twice about it,” Wallace wrote.
Then on Oct. 11, the woman broke up with Bartlett. Wright, the woman and three men were outside talking. Wright left to go back inside the shop building. But as he was reaching for the door, it opened and Bartlett was in the doorway pointing the gun at Wright’s chest, the report states.
Wright called back to the group, warning them that Bartlett was pointing a gun at him. One of the other men rushed over and told Bartlett to lower the gun, but instead he shot Wright three times, the report states.
The other man grabbed the barrel of the gun and tried to wrestle it from Barlett. But while the man was holding the barrel, Bartlett managed to fire more rounds into Wright as he was lying on the ground, the detective wrote.
The man was finally able to throw Bartlett to the ground. The two roommates wrestled the gun from him and held him on the ground until police arrived.
Wallace said investigators believe between six and nine shots were fired into Wright, but they are waiting on the outcome of the autopsy for definitive answers. He said they are also waiting on test results to determine if drugs or alcohol may have played a role in the shooting.
