Kalama man charged with premeditated attempted murder in Parkland Drive shooting

Nov. 26—Brandon Wayne Hodges — the 31-year-old Kalama resident accused of shooting his girlfriend in the head a week ago — is scheduled to appear before a Cowlitz County Superior Court judge Monday.

Hodges is charged with first-degree premeditated attempted murder and fourth-degree assault. He is in Cowlitz County Jail without bail and Monday’s hearing is regarding his bail. Kalama Police Chief Ralph Herrera said Saturday the victim is alive and recovering.

According to court documents, when a police officer arrived around 11 p.m., Nov. 18 to Parkland Drive in Kalama, he found a woman with a gunshot wound to the head lying on the roadway near an SUV. The victim was still able to talk and told the officer that the shooter was her boyfriend, and they were in a verbal argument before he shot her and fled the scene.

The arriving officer noted that the victim used a pillow to apply pressure to the back of her head, and that he saw a bullet hole in the rear window of the SUV and a 9mm casing on the ground.

Police discovered that Hodges and the victim allegedly had a dispute at a bar in Kelso, and the fight reportedly continued to the suspect’s residence.

A witness told police they heard, while inside their home, Hodges argue with the victim and then the sound of a single gunshot, according to a police report.

Hodges was later detained in Vancouver by Clark County deputies and booked into Cowlitz County Jail early the next morning.

The police report states Hodges told officers he was in a physical altercation with his girlfriend, who threatened to call the police. When Hodges realized she was serious about calling, he said he shot her in the head about a foot away, the report states. He said he then went into his house to grab more bullets and left.

A no-contact order was filed to prevent Hodges from being near the victim. His arraignment is scheduled for Dec. 1.