Deadly ‘accident born out of fear’ sends Tri-Cities woman in prison

A 38-year-old woman choked back tears as she talked about the Kennewick man she shot and killed two years ago.

“The loss of him is more devastating than anything that’s happened in my life,” said Shayla Shearer who pleaded guilty this week to shooting her boyfriend in the head “This was an accident born out of fear. I would never intentionally harm another person.”

Shearer pleaded guilty to first-degree manslaughter in the July 2023 shooting of Brayden Klatt, 25. She also entered an Alford plea for using a firearm, which means she didn’t admit to doing it, but felt she was likely to be convicted.

She faced a sentencing range of 8 1/2 to 10 1/2 years in prison. Prosecutors and the defense attorney agreed to ask for the maximum.

While Shearer and her mother painted a picture of Klatt being an abusive man, who hurt her and her dog, his family described him as a caring and loving person who never got the chance to live up to his potential.

Klatt’s father, Marty, wrote a letter read by Deputy Prosecutor Anita Petra that said his son was deeply loved. His family turned his cremated ashes into stones.

“The loss of Brayden has devastated his family. Just one year after his death his mother... passed away,” Marty Klatt wrote. “Added to all that pain, the family has had to listen to Ms. Shearer change her story. At first, she claimed the shooting was an accident. Now, she claims it was self-defense, but Brayden is not here to speak for himself. These shifting stories only deepen the wound.”

Judge Diana Ruff said even if there was abuse, Shearer had the option to leave or call police, though Ruff said she recognized there is a cycle to the abuse that could have kept Shearer in the situation.

“But at the end of the day, you took the law into your own hands. You took justice into your own hands, and you killed your partner,” Ruff said. “You can see from the words you heard in the courtroom what a devastating impact that’s had on his family, on your family and on you.”

Ruff imposed the 10 1/2-year sentence.

2023 bedroom shooting

In July 2023, Shearer called police to report accidentally shooting Klatt inside a bedroom at 718 Huntington St., Kennewick, court documents said.

Officers found him on the floor with a wound to the side of his head and a small black handgun on some steps near the bed, court documents said. Shearer’s hands and pants were covered with blood.

One officer described the room as being in “disarray,” and Shearer told the medics she had injected methamphetamine and fentanyl, court documents said.

Brayden Klatt was breathing when emergency crews arrived, but his injuries were severe. Court documents said he was kept on life support to allow for organ donation.

Shearer initially told investigators she was cleaning out her purse when the .380 caliber Ruger pistol went off.

Investigators noted Klatt’s version of events didn’t match the evidence at the home, including shell casings and the angle of the gunshot.

“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.