Gary R. Bender, 73, was shot and killed inside his home in unincorporated Clark County near Vancouver, Washington, on April 27, 2026. Deputies responded after a 911 call around 11:13 a.m. reporting shots heard nearby and found Bender inside a guest house on the property, seated in a recliner with apparent gunshot wounds to his chest; he was pronounced dead at the scene. Two spent cartridge casings were reported near his body.

Investigators quickly focused on 34-year-old Brian E. Kangas of Battle Ground. Witnesses said Kangas and Bender had been alone inside the residence before the shooting, and a neighbor reported seeing a man matching Kangas’s description leave on a bicycle. Deputies located Kangas about half an hour after the 911 call, took him into custody without incident and seized a Ruger LCP .380 ACP semiautomatic pistol. Kangas was booked on an alleged charge of second-degree murder; authorities did not release a motive and said the investigation remained active. The Bender family has asked for privacy while they grieve.

Did anyone see or hear anything in the area of Northeast Davis Road near Northeast Ward Road on the morning of April 27 that could help investigators?