In the early morning hours of March 16, 2020, the life of 22-year-old Dayton S. Miller of Vancouver, Washington, was tragically cut short. Inside a bedroom at the Teal Pointe apartments in Northeast Hazel Dell, a night of drinking and reckless behavior among friends took a fatal turn. Clark County sheriff's deputies responded to a report of a shooting at approximately 1:50 a.m.
and discovered Miller deceased from a single gunshot wound to his forehead.
The initial scene was misleading, with a small-caliber firearm found under Miller's hands, suggesting a possible suicide. However, the investigation soon revealed a much more disturbing story. The man responsible for the shooting, 20-year-old Korbin Andrew Bourn, who was a friend of Miller's, initially instructed others present to claim that Miller had taken his own life. Bourn eventually admitted to investigators the horrifying truth: he and Miller had been playing a dangerous game with a handgun.
According to both Bourn and a witness, the two men had been taking turns pointing the firearm at each other's heads and pulling the trigger. Bourn told authorities he believed the weapon was unloaded. He recounted that Miller had first pointed the gun at his head and pulled the trigger, resulting in a click. When Miller handed the gun to him, Bourn pointed it at Miller's head and fired, not expecting the weapon to discharge. After the fatal shot, Bourn confessed to placing the gun under his friend's hand in an attempt to stage the scene. As a convicted felon, Bourn was legally prohibited from possessing a firearm.
Korbin Andrew Bourn was arrested and initially faced charges of first-degree manslaughter and first-degree unlawful possession of a firearm, with his bail set at $500,000. In February 2021, Bourn, then 21, pleaded guilty to amended charges of second-degree manslaughter, second-degree unlawful possession of a firearm, and tampering with a witness. During his sentencing, a remorseful Bourn expressed his deep regret to Miller's loved ones, stating through tears that Miller was one of his best friends and that he was profoundly sorry for playing the "stupid game" that led to his death. Miller's family, including his grandmother who had raised him, expressed their profound sadness and the difficulty of grieving in isolation due to the COVID-19 pandemic. They remembered Dayton as a wonderful and caring person. The court sentenced Bourn to six years in prison.
