Self-Proclaimed White Supremacist Arrested For Three Murders In Washington
A man who reportedly described himself as a white supremacist and a “skinhead” was taken into custody on Saturday afternoon near Vancouver, Washington, following a statewide manhunt. He’s accused of killing three people and seriously injuring another.
The Columbian reported that Brent Luyster, 35, a former resident of Vancouver, allegedly killed two unidentified men and one woman on Friday evening, at a home located at 4006 N.W. 417th Street, in Woodland. He also left another unidentified woman for dead, but she managed to drive herself, with a shotgun in hand, to the AM/PM mini-mart off of Lewis Road in Woodland. Police met her at the convenience store, where she told them she had been shot, along with three others. She identified Luyster as the shooter.
BREAKING: Brent Luyster, the suspect in the Woodland triple homicide is in custody pic.twitter.com/b1rB6BCXZm
— KGW News (@KGWNews) July 16, 2016
Law enforcement arrived at the residence where the shootings took place, where they found two men lying dead outside of the home, and a deceased woman lying inside the home. According to Sgt. Fred Neiman, spokesman for the Clark County Sheriff’s Office, their identities have not yet been released.
The surviving female was airlifted and taken to local trauma hospital and treated for gunshot injuries. As of Saturday night, she was still in the hospital, after undergoing emergency surgery.
Detectives with the Regional Major Crimes Team investigated the crime scene while police began searching for Luyster. Since Luyster was considered armed and dangerous, a high-alert manhunt ensued for most of the day, and authorities helped spread the word via social media and news stations. Neiman stated that sharing the suspect’s description with other outlets is what eventually led to his capture.
“There was lots of public attention based on Facebook and all the media online stuff, so I really appreciate the media getting the word out that we were looking for this fellow and this vehicle. It’s very plausible that it led to him being taken into custody.”
Authorities found Luyster at around 4:15 p.m on Saturday, after an officer with the Washington State Patrol spotted his vehicle parked close to Ocean Beach Highway. Neiman indicated he was taken into custody without incident.
“We are very pleased that Mr. Luyster was taken into custody without incident, without apparently harming anyone while we were looking for him. We were fearful that, given what we know of him, it might have been a different story.”
Luyster, who sports numerous swastikas tattoos across his back, arms, and torso, has a long rap sheet that dates back to 1988, when he was only a 7-year-old, according to newspaper archives. The details of what he was accused of at such a young age, however, haven’t be re-released.
Earlier this year in May, Luyster was arrested after hitting his girlfriend with a pistol. KOIN 6 reported that shortly after the incident, police found him shooting a gun in nearby woods, although they confirmed he wasn’t shooting at them. His trial was scheduled to begin on Monday, with charges of assault, illegal firearm possession, and harassment.
Meanwhile, Jeff Daniels, a resident who heard the gunshots on Saturday night, told The Oregonian that he could tell the shots weren’t from someone hunting, a common activity in that area of Woodland. Yet, he had no idea that he would wake up to the news that three people were killed in a neighboring home.
“We heard shots about 10:15 p.m., about three rapid fires. Then there was a pause. Then I heard a couple more.”
Authorities stated that Luyster didn’t live at the property, but he knew the victims who lived there. A few neighbors said that a man named Joseph Lamar rented a trailer home on the property where the shootings happened. They also said he was not a friendly man, and always kept to himself unless he was complaining about something. According to neighbor Bonnie Peterson,
“He kept to himself. Our little neighborhood here is a very close community, and he didn’t fit in.”
It’s still unclear if Lamar is among one of the victims. The story is still ongoing.
Luyster remains in jail with no bail. Prior to his arrest, one of his friends posted a “sympathy” comment on his Facebook wall, hoping that his friend wouldn’t get harmed.
https://www.facebook.com/dangerousdesignscompany/posts/1364227596926302?pnref=story
[Photo by Clark County Sheriff’s Office]
