Court docs: Man killed in Vanc. shooting was walking away when shot
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VANCOUVER, Wash. – A Vancouver murder suspect shot another man several times when he began to walk away after a physical fight, a witness told police according to court documents.
Sean H. Doucette, 27, appeared in Clark County Superior Court Wednesday on a second-degree murder charge. His attorney said Doucette confronted the man in the street when he came home from work early Tuesday morning and saw the man breaking into his car.
Doucette's attorney said his client got into a physical fight with the man, took out his gun, and shot him in self-defense.
Friends and family told KATU News Tuesday night the person who was shot and killed was 19-year-old Iosif Dumitrash. Police confirmed that on Wednesday morning.
An independent witness told detectives that he or she saw both men fall to the ground during the fight. The two men separated and Dumitrash got up and began to walk away, which is when Doucette shot him, according to court documents obtained by KATU News.
The Clark County Medical Examiner's Office listed gunshot wounds to the chest as Dumitrash's cause of death.
KATU News called the office to clarify because court documents said the witness told police Dumitrash was shot while "walking away." A spokewoman with the medical examiner's office said if the cause of death was gunshot wounds to the back, it would have been listed that way.
The prosecution argued that Dumitrash was trying to get away and that deadly force was not justifiable.
Doucette’s wife called 911 and told the call-taker that her husband shot another man, court documents said. She told police that her husband got into a physical fight with the man, later identified as Dumitrash, and shot him with a pistol.
Neighbors told KATU they heard four shots fired. Court documents said "numerous" shell casings were found at the scene. The medical examiner's officer did not list a specific number of gunshot wounds.
At first police said it was a homeowner who shot a prowler near 150th Avenue and Northeast 33rd Street at 4 a.m., but by Tuesday afternoon, that homeowner, identified as Doucette, was taken to the Clark County Jail on suspicion of second-degree murder.
A law enforcement source told KATU News Dumitrash was hanging out in a house with friends nearby, and that he left to "cool off." That's the last time they saw him.
When police showed up around the corner, friends and family waited and were worried it was the young man they called honest and trustworthy.
Doucette is a former Marine who worked as an armed security guard at First Response Inc., according to the company's president, Dave Foglio, who said Doucette had a clean record and was a good employee of at least four years.
Foglio said Doucette is licensed in Oregon to be an armed officer, has his own weapon and carries it home.
Doucette's bail was reduced from $500,000 to $250,000. His next scheduled court appearance is Feb. 12.
The Associated Press contributed to this story.
Shot in the chest, shot in the back, his car, their car, yada, yada. Â Here's an idea.....Why don't you people wait until you hear ALL the EVIDENCE before deciding what actually happened? Â I know, it's unheard of to act this way for most people. Â You know, using some common sense, but you should try it....
He will go to prison, gun nuts, note to self: call 911, the only time you can use that gun you covet so much if ' "the bad guy" broke into your house and threatened your safety or that of your family , you would find a jury friendly to the outcome, but if your shooting people on the public street...even though they may have attempted car prowl, your going to jail, and the jury will put you there, doubt it? well follow the case then, and you and "Zeke",{pulp fiction} and the rest of your paranoid gun nuts might learn about what we know as"limits", so climb aboard you and those supporting savage justice, your tv juice world loves reality tv! that knock on your door?, yep lab coats ready to take you! you to your new safe room...you people are really sick with your gun noise.
 @Social Glimpse Wow after that comment I would say you are the one needing a psych eval! First off there are many situations where the use of deadly force is permissible by law not just when someone is breaking into your home. Second we don't even have a sixteenth of the facts on this story, the only thing we know for certain was someone lost a life which is horrible under any situation and he was not shot in the back.  This leaves many possible ways the events unfolded and either party could be found at fault.
 @Bodagris  @Social Glimpse Just taking a wild guess the one who committed murder will be found to be at fault, not the 19 year old dead guy...this is Oregon....perhaps you should move to Texas or Alabama bodagris....
Well said MustacheRide. I totally agree with you. If this would have happened in a middle east country......or even in an Asian country.......no comment necessary.
the problem isn't guns, it is violent people. what is causing violence to go rampant?
I feel like we have went 2000 years backwards in time.
 @lee986321 wake up, the problem is guns, the cause of death was bullets in his chest....If this ex-marine security guard didn't have a gun, he probably would have stayed inside and waited for police to respond. If he had gone out to deal with it and didn't have a gun, probably a death would not be the result. Think about it...
 @Julie C  @lee986321 Unbelievable. The problem is NOT guns.  Guns are a weapon, yes, but they are not the problem.  The core problem here is the people doing this crud.  Do you really think that they would not do anything if they had no guns?  Do you really believe that?  You may argue that it would not be as easy for them to kill as many people if they had no guns.  I would ask you, what if they decided to use explosives?  What if they decided to make a chemical weapon?  What if they decided to run a plane into a building?  I can go on, but I think you get the point, or should.  The point is, banning guns WILL NOT solve the problem.  It will not stop radicals or people intent on doing harm from doing it.  If you think it will, you are truly naive.
 @Julie C  @lee986321 I know you are saying that the problem HERE was A gun, but please recognize that the problem was the guy USING the gun inappropriately or irresponsibly, not the weapon itself being present.
IMO, this kid was up to no good. There is no excuse for someone to be lurkin' around others property in the middle of the night. Plain and simple. And it pisses me off when weasilly little ba$tards don't respect other people's property. Drives me nuts. Ive been the victim of theft a few times. Granted it doesn't warrant death - i get that. I did however at the time WANT to kill them. So I understand the frustration and possible confusion of someone lurkin' around your house and car at night.  In all honesty, the ENTIRE court system in this country fails. Heavily. We are too damn soft on criminals. Too coddling. I know the type of reaction I will get on this forum for saying this - but we need stiff punishments. If this would-be thief KNEW he was going to be convicted and lose a hand or something stiff for such a crime, by golly, he may have thought twice about breaking into a car. Even if he didnt break into a car, you get my point. Criminals KNOW they get a goddamn free pass, so why not be involved in crime and do stupid things!? Rapists? HA! You KNOW what we should take from them...
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This country makes me sad. Too soft... Too many wussies... Too Politically Correct.  In closing - should this guy have died? No. Should we actually come up with punishments that strike ever-living fear and terror into the hearts of criminals that commit such crimes? Yup. You Goddamn right we should.
 @MustacheRide Wow, you sound certifiable, hope no-one is stupid enough to give you a gun permit. You have absolutely no evidence that he was up to "no good." What, pray tell are you basing this assumption on?
 @MustacheRide Gunning down someone in the street who isn't a threat to you and, based on the evidence available as of now, wasn't committing a crime isn't getting tough on crime - it's committing a crime.Â
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 @Max Quinn Way to overthink things, and miss my one point. I was attempting to get across, that kid would have never been near this dudes car or on his property IF we had some sort of penalty other than a judge saying in court "yeah....you shouldnt have done that...." and pay some weak ass fine, or spend a night or two in jail. WEAK. If you steal, lose a hand. Middle ages style right there. WE NEED HARSH PENALTIES THAT MAKE PEOPLE THINK. What else will keep them in line? Oh....thats right. Nothing.
 @MustacheRide Do you know how many people on death row have been proven innocent with new evidence or DNA that surfaces after the trial? How about how many have been proven innocent after being put to death? I doubt you do, you don't seem like the sharpest tool in the shed. Even one is too many, if you want to see that kind of "justice" please leave this country and don't let the door hit you on the way out. You sound like an animal. By the way, if you are trying to pinch our tax paying dollars, the death penalty costs far more than life in prison. Now our tax money is going into Sean Doucette's trial and room and board.
 @MustacheRide  @Max Quinn I suppose I should be grateful I haven't been shot yet, as I regularly get near other peoples cars, golly I was just walking by several cars in the parking lot tonight, and when I walked my dog...thank you jesus, I don't live in Sean Doucettes neighborhood.
 @MustacheRide Oh, that would make all the difference. Life in prison is like a vacation. If we had a faster, more brutal death penalty, then people walking around at night would really think twice...
 @Max Quinn Actually, we DO NOT have stiff crimes for murder. You take someones life and it wasnt justified or was a heinous act of violence, you should be put to sleep. For good. And it should be with a bullet, not some 40k dollar contraption that is a waste to everyone. Firing line, if you want it to be extravegant about the whole thing, have a few more guys with .30 cent bullets rather than one.  So, in response to your comment about having harsh penalties for murder....ehh, not really. Also, does anyone else in this world other than myself find it the least bit absurd just how long and how much tax payer money goes into a death sentence trial? I understand getting the facts straight and correct, but ones its done - make it done! UGH! So many things to rant about, so much waste, so little penalties, such rediculous rights of criminals, so much tax spending on what.....rehabilitation? lol.Â
 @MustacheRide Way to miss the point of the whole incident.
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You don't even know if the kid was near the shooter's car. People committing no crimes shouldn't have to worry about being arrested and given harsh sentences. If you cut off the hands of the thief, why would I care if I don't steal stuff?Â
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And the guy walking down the street wasn't out of line. The guy who shot him was. So, maybe we need stiff penalties for murder. Oh wait, we already have them.
 @MustacheRide http://www.oregonlive.com/pacific-northwest-news/index.ssf/2011/07/update_man_arrested_in_death_of_clackamas_bicylist.htmlÂ
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this story was a prime example of how soft we are on criminals. The guy got less than 5 years if i remember correctly. He takes a life away and gets tax payer paradise for a few years. shame. penalties need be stiff to the point such that one should be afraid to actually break the law.
 @toobadsoosad amen, that is rediculous.
I think I will wait for the Real Story to come out before I make any judgements.
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 @Fed up Fed  Well stated...
 @Fed up Fed Very well put and I actually agree with you on all counts. I just think back to the Guy who was arrested for DUII Marijuana when he ran over the Pedestrian at night in Vancouver. Everyone was out to hang him and the charges were dropped, I do not want to be a part of a Lynch Mob.
What would you keep in your Car worth Killing over? Besides your Family.
So unfortunate! Wasn't there a police shooting a few days before this? If someone was such a threat, then why are the entry wounds on his back and not the front part of his body? Shooting someone in the back is real cowardly move. Whatever happened to using a tazer when stuff like this happens? Shoot to injure, not to kill. That way the judicial system can take care of them. It will all come out in the wash and I hope justice is served. My heart goes to their families and friends.Â
You shouldn't bring a gun to a fist fight.
 @Pointblank Or Vice Versa.....:)
They didn't let you get away with shooting someone in the back in the wild west, Sean should have watched more westerns.
@CorporateCowMoo  Problem with reading comprehension? The medical examiner said he was shot in the chest. Who are you going to believe? A professional medical examiner or some yahoo "witness" that just happens to be out and about at 4 am?
 @wondering Actually the reports varied, some reports on the news stated he was shot in the back, some stated he was shot in the chest...either way you don't bring a gun to a fist fight, call the cops and wait inside. PTSD marine mallcop with an attitude-he will get his.
@Julie C @wondering Are you a licensed pschycologist with inside knowledge of this case or the accused? Cause if not, then maybe you should take your narrow minded comments and hit the trail. You have no knowledge of the accused medical military records, so you may wanna watch who you accuse of particular disorders/illnesses. This can be considered slander by some and not end in your favor. I find it absolutely baffling that our basic rights as US citizens are thrown out the window by the general public who think they have the GOD given right to persecute and convict without all the facts. Let the police and the legal system do their job, that's what they are there for. Seriously though, is the name calling truly necessary? All it does it make you look childish and uneducated.
 @wondering I think they were referring to the officer involved shooting a couple days before. That man had holes in his back.
 @wondering While I certainly respect the Clark County Medical Examiner and staff, it only tells one side of the story.  Witness testimony is equally as important.  Like someone said, he could have been walking away and turned after the man started shooting (especially if he didn't understand or if the shooter didn't do a "Stop or I'll shoot!" command) to see what was going on.  That would have resulted in a chest shot.
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Facts aren't released yet and they are still, no doubt, trying to figure out what happened.
This is beginning to sound like the Trevon Martin case. A white male defending himself or his propertyÂ
shooting a minority. The media is already glorifying the prowler (see the picture of the Rose in his
mouth) and Treyvon Martin was depicted using a photo when he was 12.
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@Fed up Fed @PeterAWolf Yea i would hardly consider this the same since its apparent Trayvon was "walking away"Â nice reach though but im sure your mind is capable of seperating the differences in the two.
 @Fed up Fed Touche!
 @jpdx00 What's so apparent? There is no evidence of what happened two nights ago, hence the very beginnings of an investigation that has not even come close to trial where actual evidence will be weighed, not these immediate assumptions smart ones like you rely on. You are advertising your ignorance...might wanna try to keep that on the dl...
 @PeterAWolf Sure is. A lot of people are starting to see what they want to see in it.
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 @Caspertoo The dead man I believe was from Moldova. A small, poor, former Soviet satellite wedged between the Ukraine & Romania. The media storyline seems to be: immigrant-good, American-bad; peaceful immigrant with a rose in his teeth & a violent Marine with a gun. Analyst are also comparing it to the Trevon Martin case.
@Julie C@PeterAWolf
Ms. Julie Crosse, coming on here and belittling others and calling them names for their points of view is well, just wrong. Â
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A word of advice: Â I don't think that name calling and antagonism are very effective ways to express yourself or get your point across, but it is clear that for some reason, you do. Â I'm guessing that you probably irritate a lot of people. Â I think you should probably cool it though. Â
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We are all challenged by your, "Unique" point of view...Â
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 @PeterAWolf Good God! I urge you to move far away you racist. Similarities in this case and Treyvon Martin are that an idiot that never should have the right to have a gun murdered a teenager. If you think that's acceptable you are an animal and should be taken to the pound.
Thou shalt not violate my property. Â
No grass of mine shall be bent! Â
No air by my domicile shall be disturbed! Â
Behold! Â If yer pet be on my lawn, they shall be carcass by morn! Â
For I have gun, am unaware of law, but is righteous in fury! Â
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 @Benjamin Schniffle Praise be to Allah!
Given the same circumstances, I'd've done the same thing. Don't care what the other circumstances are. You touch my property you have abrogated all rights to life.
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 @Muttley hope you like it in the pooper....
 @Muttley AND you, for protecting easily replaced, often insured property, would cost your family your presence in their lives for several years?  WOW...sorta selfish choice...but then again.  If this is your real belief, maybe they would do better without you around.  Maybe you need to think before you speak.  And of course it goes without saying you don't care a fig how much harm or hurt you cause the other person's family.
 @Muttley And you'll end up abrogating all your rights to your property - and a lot more once you're in prison.
 @Muttley Come touch my stuff so I can shoot you.  Anything.  Brush against my car and you'll see Jesus, the Mexican plumber.
 @Muttley Troll idiot. Â
 @Muttley What ? So if they steal your newspaper they lose their life.. Ok... What;s that address ?
 @Muttley If you do, then: go to jail. Go directly to jail. Do not pass Go, do not collect any money or sympathy from judge, jury and your peers.