Man who pulled gun at Richland protest accused of threatening to shoot hospital workers

A 32-year-old man accused of brandishing a gun at a recent Black Lives Matter demonstration has a pending felony case for threatening to shoot employees at a Tri-Cities hospital.

Brandon R. Bourne was reported to be “highly intoxicated” in November when he told a Kadlec Regional Medical Center nurse about his .45 at home and plans to return with the gun.

Bourne had a trial date earlier this spring in Benton County Superior Court, but it was delayed because of the coronavirus pandemic. He was due to return in August to reschedule.

However, in light of his recent arrest, Deputy Prosecutor Kristin McRoberts has requested a hearing to address Bourne’s conditions of release.

It’s currently set for July at the request of defense attorney Nicholas Blount because Bourne is unavailable.

Bourne, charged in the November incident with felony harassment with a threat to kill, has been out of custody since posting $1,000 bail.

Court documents show the incident happened after the Richland man was supposed to catch a flight out of the Tri-Cities to start inpatient alcohol treatment, but he was too drunk to fly and ended up at Kadlec.

In the new case, Bourne bonded out within hours of his June 5 arrest at the peaceful protest in Richland. He now is charged in Benton County District Court with displaying a weapon capable of producing bodily harm, a gross misdemeanor.

Richland protest

In social media posts before the rally, Bourne asked members of the “Defend the Tri” group what the laws are in Washington for carrying and transporting guns. He wanted clarification on “conceal and loaded” — if that meant one in the chamber or a whole magazine.

“Because I want to get down to business with y’all,” according to a post from Bourne’s Facebook account. “I’m from Idaho where the gun laws are very lenient. Here in Washington I’m not so sure.”

On June 5, some 300 protesters lined George Washington Way calling for justice for George Floyd and an end to racial inequality and oppression. They waved signs at passing cars, as many drivers honked.

At one point during the rally, Bourne brandished a pistol during a verbal confrontation with several people at John Dam Plaza, according to Richland police.

Officers stepped in to find out what happened, and ultimately arrested Bourne on a Richland Municipal Code violation for intimidation.

Later that night, after getting out of the Benton County jail, Bourne returned to social media to talk about his arrest covered by Tri-City news media.

“That guy is me and I was getting fist bumps by the police all the way to and on my way out of jail because your black lives matter b------- is racist as hell and everybody is sick of hearing it,” he wrote on Facebook. “I’m a gun-toting, hard-working tax-paying American citizen and my voice matters.”

“Go to hell if you don’t like it,” he continued. “I’ll be at home with the rest of my guns if anybody wants to come and try to tell me different.”

Richland police responded to Bourne’s apparent bragging with their own social media post.

“We are aware of the allegations made by Mr. Bourne, who was arrested yesterday in John Dam Plaza. Our officers were not engaged in encouraging his behavior before or after his arrest,” the department said June 6 on its Facebook page. “We do not condone behavior such as Bourne’s. We do support the right to peaceable protests.

“Our goal was to ensure everyone was safe. We thank those who participated peacefully in yesterday’s protest.”

November threat charges

Six months earlier, Richland police were called to Kadlec because Bourne “became aggressive and had to be restrained by hospital security staff,” according to court documents.

They found Bourne combative and highly emotional and he was detained for involuntary commitment, documents said.

His wife had taken him to the hospital after he was too intoxicated to catch a plane to start an inpatient alcohol treatment program out of town, said the documents.

A nurse was examining Bourne when he allegedly started talking about his .45-caliber gun at home. The nurse asked Bourne to refrain from speaking like that about firearms.

At that point, Bourne turned to a hospital security officer and said he was going to come back with his gun and shoot that officer and a second security officer, court documents said.

All three men told Richland police that they took the threat seriously and feared Bourne would carry it out, documents said.

Court documents at the time show Bourne that was part of the conditions of his release on bail he was allowed to leave Benton and Franklin counties to travel to California while the case was pending.

Bourne also is under court supervision for a January 2019 charge in Benton County District Court that was amended to disorderly conduct from simple assault. That case reportedly involved a fight with his stepson.

This story was originally published June 14, 2020 at 2:25 PM.