1 critically injured, 1 dead after shooting in Benton County

KENNEWIC — A 48-year-old shooting victim remained in critical condition Tuesday after he was shot outside a Plymouth home. The shooter then turned the gun on himself Monday night.

The man died but Benton County sheriff’s investigators were still trying to confirm his identity Tuesday afternoon, and no other information was released, the Tri-City Herald reported.

Sheriff’s detectives were continuing to investigate the 4:30 p.m. shooting on Christy Road in the rural Benton County town close to the Columbia River near the Oregon border.

Lt. Jon Schwarder with the Benton County Sheriff’s Office said initial reports were that the men were arguing outside one of the homes. One man opened fire and hit the 48-year-old man before running off.

When deputies arrived, they found the wounded man and the shooter dead nearby. The wounded man was flown to a local hospital. Benton County detectives were searching two homes in the area after they had to pause the investigation overnight because it became too dark, Schwarder said.