On a spring morning in Belfair, Washington, the life of 31-year-old Nathaniel Joseph Rosa, a White male, came to a tragic and violent end. On April 1, 2017, Rosa was shot and killed while showering in a residence on East Trails Road. The property belonged to 59-year-old Bruce Fanning, who owned a neighboring house and ran an internet-based business from the location of the shooting.
That morning, Fanning discovered signs of a break-in at his business property, including a kicked-in door
and a missing window screen. Upon entering, he found Rosa, a stranger to him, in the shower. After a brief exchange of words, Fanning left the building, retrieved a handgun from his home, and returned. He then fired multiple shots through the shower curtain, killing Rosa. It was later suggested that Rosa, who had been at a party at a nearby residence, may have entered the wrong house by mistake. He had been drinking alcohol and smoking marijuana earlier that morning.
Following the shooting, Fanning himself called 911 to report the incident. However, law enforcement officials determined that Fanning had the opportunity to contact them before resorting to lethal force. The Mason County Sheriff's Office arrested Fanning, and he was initially charged with second-degree murder. Prosecutors later increased the charge to first-degree murder.
In the subsequent legal proceedings, Bruce Fanning was found guilty of second-degree murder by a jury. In December 2019, a Mason County Superior Court judge sentenced him to approximately 19 years in prison. During the sentencing, Fanning expressed remorse to Rosa's family but maintained that he acted in self-defense. Nathaniel Rosa was remembered as a compassionate and dedicated educator who worked as a paraeducator at Woodmoor Elementary School in Bothell.
