In the early hours of February 4, 2014, the life of 21-year-old Craig C. Moritz Jr. was tragically cut short in Vancouver, Washington. His body was discovered in a field near Vancouver Mall just before 3 a.m. by police responding to a call about a man who was not breathing. The death of the male victim was immediately considered suspicious, prompting an investigation by the Vancouver Police Major Crimes Team.
The investigation quickly revealed that Moritz's death was a homicide resulting
from a drug deal that had taken a violent turn. Moritz and a friend, Aaron Smith, had arranged to sell marijuana to Shawn Fortner, 19, and his cousin, Jonathan Hensey, 21. They were picked up in a minivan and driven to a nearby parking lot. There, a masked man, later identified as 22-year-old Zacheriah A. Douglas, emerged from the back of the vehicle and attempted to rob Moritz and Smith at gunpoint.
As Moritz and Smith tried to flee the robbery, Douglas shot Moritz in the back. Smith managed to escape unharmed after the gunman's weapon reportedly either jammed or ran out of ammunition when he attempted to shoot Smith as well. Smith returned to a friend's apartment and informed Moritz's girlfriend, Jennifer Scroggins, about the shooting. Scroggins then found Moritz unresponsive and called 911, performing CPR under the dispatcher's guidance until emergency services arrived. Unfortunately, Moritz was pronounced dead at the scene.
Within a day of the fatal shooting, law enforcement made swift arrests. Shawn Fortner and Jonathan Hensey were taken into custody on February 4th. The suspected gunman, Zacheriah A. Douglas, was apprehended in Forest Grove, Oregon, the following day. Fortner later admitted to the police that the plan had been to rob Moritz and Smith of their drugs. All three men faced charges related to the murder of Craig Moritz, with Douglas identified as the primary suspect in the shooting.
