Christopher Gonzales, 54, was found mortally wounded on the evening of June 20, 2022, inside an apartment at 118 East Washington Avenue in Dayton, Washington. Deputies and medics responded to a reported shooting; Gonzales had suffered a single gunshot wound to the chest and was taken to Dayton General Hospital, where he was pronounced dead shortly afterward. He was listed as having a last known address in Walla Walla, and the Columbia County prosecuting attorney, who also serves as coroner, confirmed the fatal injury and death that night.

Investigators initially took into custody a 22-year-old Dayton resident, Jason William Bomar, who was booked on suspicion of first-degree manslaughter as detectives worked to reconstruct events inside the apartment. Within days prosecutors said no formal charges had been filed and Bomar would be released pending further investigation. Later that summer officials discussed convening a coroner’s inquest, indicating the case remained active but unresolved.

If anyone has information about what happened at 118 East Washington Avenue on June 20, 2022, please share it with investigators.