Robert M. Johnston, 59, was shot and killed at his Snohomish residence near the 6500 block of 57th Avenue SE on August 7, 2022. First responders transported him to a local hospital, but he died of a gunshot wound; the Snohomish County Medical Examiner’s Office ruled the death a homicide.

Investigators focused on a family member. A 911 call from one son said another son, 30-year-old James Johnston, who lived in a trailer on the property, had fired a .22-caliber rifle earlier that morning and been acting mentally unstable. The caller said he heard shots from the roof, warned his father, and that James fired a warning shot at his father’s feet; as Robert Johnston walked toward the house a second shot struck him in the abdomen.

James Johnston was arrested and charged with second-degree murder. Prosecutors noted a long-standing bipolar disorder diagnosis and that he had not been taking prescribed medication; James told detectives the weapon discharged accidentally while he was clearing a malfunction. Bail was set at $1 million.

Did anyone in the area know the Johnston family or have information about what happened that morning?