Christopher Gonzales, 54, male, was found mortally wounded on the evening of June 20, 2022, inside an apartment at 118 East Washington Avenue in Dayton, Washington. Deputies and medics responded after a report of a shooting; Gonzales had suffered a single gunshot wound to the chest. He was rushed to Dayton General Hospital, where he was pronounced dead shortly afterward. Local authorities identified him as having a last known address in Walla Walla, and the Columbia County prosecuting attorney—who also serves as coroner—confirmed the fatal injury and death that night.
Investigators quickly focused on a 22-year-old Dayton resident, Jason William Bomar, who was taken into custody in the hours after the shooting. He was initially booked on suspicion of first-degree manslaughter as detectives worked to reconstruct what happened inside the apartment. Within days, however, prosecutors announced they had not filed formal charges and that Bomar would be released pending further investigation, citing the need for additional witness information and evidence review. Later that summer, county officials discussed convening a coroner’s inquest to examine the circumstances of Gonzales’s death, signaling the case remained active but unresolved. Public incident trackers and memorial listings record the location and date of the shooting, aligning with the local reports.
