In a tragic turn of events, 58-year-old William Ray Brimhall of Dillard, Oregon, lost his life on August 19, 2014. The harrowing ordeal began when William's 34-year-old son, Zachary Levi Brimhall, lured him to a remote campsite in Coos County. Patricia Brimhall, William's wife and Zachary's mother, later recounted to investigators that her husband had left their home on Monday, August 18th, after receiving a call from their son who claimed his car had broken down and he needed assistance.
It is believed that shortly after William arrived at the secluded location on a logging road in the Coast Range, he was shot multiple times by his son. His body was discovered near his vehicle the following day, approximately 50 miles from where a subsequent and related tragedy would unfold. The motive behind Zachary's violent actions remains unknown to investigators.
After killing his father, Zachary drove to Bastendorff Beach. In the early morning hours of August 19th, he committed a drive-by shooting in the beach's parking lot, firing upon five vehicles. Tragically, David Jesse Hortman, a 43-year-old camper from Michigan who was asleep in his vehicle, was fatally shot. Following this senseless act of violence, Zachary Brimhall took his own life. Investigators found several firearms and materials for making an improvised explosive device inside his vehicle. The Coos County District Attorney confirmed that Zachary Brimhall was responsible for his father's death, as well as the death of David Hortman, before his own suicide.
