Pictured: California Trail Road, the street in Blaine, Washington, near the scene where Wayne Mahar shot Vincent Reames (Google Maps)
An elderly neighbor in Washington state is accused of first-degree murder after allegedly opening fire with a shotgun from his porch last Wednesday afternoon and killing a man later found face-down in his own driveway, local law enforcement say.
According to the Whatcom County Sheriff’s Office, 76-year-old Wayne Harold Mahar, Sr., called the victim an “a—hole” who deserved to be dead.
The victim, since identified as 67-year-old Vincent Reames, was fatally shot on Oct. 4 outside of his home in Blaine.
“Upon arrival, Deputies detained Mr. Mahar without incident. Deputies located the victim lying face down in his driveway and immediately began CPR. Those efforts were unsuccessful,” the sheriff’s office said.
A 911 caller identified Mahar as the gunman and said the defendant matter of factly admitted he shot Reames after the victim made too much noise, authorities said.
“WCSO Detectives found that Mr. Mahar had threatened to kill the victim because he was throwing rocks at his house and making too much noise. A neighbor of Mr. Mahar’s, who reported the shooting to 911, came outside after hearing the shot and witnessed Mr. Mahar standing on his front porch holding a gun,” investigators said. “She noticed the victim lying face down on the ground in front of his residence. She asked Mr. Mahar if he had shot the victim. He replied, ‘Yeah.””
More Law&Crime coverage: Man who threatened to kill neighbors is sentenced — and sent right back home across the street from his victims
Read Related Also: Jennifer Saunders teases a thrilling update on an upcoming Absolutely Fabulous project
Mahar allegedly agreed to be interviewed by deputies and when he did so he said Reames was an “‘asshole’ who deserved to be dead.”
Local NBC affiliate KING 5 reported that Mahar had a blood alcohol level of .189 several hours after the shooting.
The Bellingham Herald reported that the suspect, who allegedly identified himself as a former cop and Vietnam veteran, complained about noise in November 2022 and told responding authorities he “wished he could just kill” Reames.
Nearly one year later, an unarmed Reames was shot to death in his own driveway in front of his trailer. The victim was shot in the chest from around 30 feet away the day after the defendant allegedly made threats to kill him.
“Upon arrival, the deputies and officers used their training and experience to safely detain the suspect without incident,” Whatcom County Undersheriff Doug Chadwick said in a statement. “Our thoughts are with the family and friends of the victim and those that were impacted by this traumatic event.”
Whatcom County Jail records reviewed by Law&Crime show that Mahar was booked after 9 p.m. on the day of the shooting. His bail was set at $2,000,000.
Have a tip we should know? [email protected]
