Tri-Cities woman says she shot her boyfriend by accident. Police say it was murder

A 36-year-old Kennewick woman charged with murder claims the gunshot that killed her boyfriend was fired by accident.

But investigators believe Shayla D. Shearer pointed the gun at the 25-year-old man’s head before pulling the trigger twice, according to court documents.

Prosecutors have charged Shearer with second-degree murder in connection with the death of Brayden Klatt on July 23 at 718 N. Huntington Street.

Shearer is being held in the Benton County jail in lieu of $500,000 bail.

Shearer called 911 to report that Klatt had been accidentally shot in the head. When officers arrived they found the wounded man on the floor inside a bedroom. He had suffered a wound to the side of his head.

An officer noticed a small black handgun on the top step of a short staircase that helps dogs get onto the bed.

Shearer’s hands and pants were covered with blood.

A police officer described the room as being in “disarray” and suspected narcotics and drug paraphernalia were scattered around, according to court documents.

Shearer allegedly told the medics she had injected methamphetamine and fentanyl.

Klatt was breathing when emergency crews arrived but his injuries were too severe. Court documents said he was considered brain dead by Wednesday, but was kept on life support to allow for organ donation.

Accident or murder?

Shearer told investigators she had been cleaning her purse out as she prepared to do laundry, according to court documents. One of the items she took out was a 380 Ruger pistol that police found in the bedroom.

“She was moving some things and did not even realize that the gun had gone off,” according to the affidavit of probable cause.

She later said that she did hear the gunshot go off.

She told officers that she was on one side of the bed when the gun fired.

Investigators noted several points where Klatt’s version of events didn’t match the evidence found at the home.

Police found two spent shell casings. They noted that it takes 8 pounds of pressure to pull the trigger of that model of gun. That compares to 5.5 pounds for most other handguns, according to court documents.

“This indicates that Shearer would have had to intentionally pull the trigger of the firearm to have two rounds be fired,” the affidavit said.

Investigators were able use a trajectory tool to trace the path of a bullet hole through the bedroom door and the wall. They found the shot came from a spot that was nearly level with Klatt’s head.

“The height of the bullet hole and the almost level trajectory is a strong indicated that Shearer was pointing the firearm at the victim when the gun was fired and it was not an accidental discharge,” the affidavit said.