“I should have taken care of this last night.”
That’s what prosecutors said shooting suspect Michael T. Boswell was overheard saying as custody officers transported him to court Tuesday morning.
The 29-year-old Yacolt man is accused of shooting his live-in girlfriend in the head as she was sleeping on the couple’s couch Monday afternoon.
Boswell told investigators he had tried to commit suicide as he was lying on the couch next to her, but the gun accidentally went off, according to court documents.
The 25-year-old victim, Jessica Fix, drove herself to the Fred Meyer store in Battle Ground, where she called friends to take her to Legacy Salmon Creek Hospital.
She remained in serious condition at another hospital Tuesday night.
Sgt. Kevin Allais with the Major Crimes Unit of the Clark County Sheriff’s Office said Tuesday that she was conscious and speaking when detectives interviewed her Monday night, and her injuries were not believed life-threatening.
Boswell made his first appearance Tuesday in Clark County Superior Court on suspicion of first-degree assault domestic violence. At the request of prosecutors who cited Boswell’s history of sex crimes and his risk of suicide, Judge Rich Melnick set bail at $1 million.
Deputy Prosecutor Mike Dodds told Melnick that in addition to his incriminating statements just before the court appearance, Boswell was overheard saying “he wanted this over” and also “wanted his mother.”
Defense attorney Todd Pascoe was appointed to represent Boswell. Arraignment was set for Nov. 29.
The shooting occurred between 2 and 3 p.m. at 17605 N.E. Lucia Falls Road in Yacolt, where the couple lives with Fix’s parents. Fix told sheriff’s investigators that she had woken to a pain in the back of her head. She said she saw her boyfriend of three years, Boswell, holding a .22-caliber handgun that belonged to her parents, according to court documents.
“Jessica asked Michael what happened and he said he had tried to shoot himself but accidentally shot her instead,” said a probable cause affidavit filed with the court.
When interviewed by investigators, Boswell gave a similar account. He said he had loaded the handgun and lain down on the couch next to Fix, resting on his left elbow with the gun in his left hand, according to the affidavit. That’s when, according to Boswell, his shoulder gave out and his arm fell and the gun discharged, shooting Fix in the head.
Investigators said Boswell and Fix stayed at the home talking before she said she was going to drive to the bank to make a deposit. Instead, she went to the hospital.
A pre-trial release officer’s report stated that Boswell is originally from Georgia. He said he went to Idaho before coming to Clark County to flee outstanding warrants in Georgia.
Laura McVicker: www.facebook.com/reportermcvicker; www.twitter.com/col_courts; laura.mcvicker@columbian.com; 360-735-4516.
