PORT ANGELES — The investigation of a deadly shooting June 20 hinges on DNA evidence collected from 211 E. Vashon Ave., where 63-year-old Robert Fowler was killed, police said Thursday.
“We are still waiting for the crime lab process to be completed,” Port Angeles Police Detective Cpl. Jason Viada said.
“There are two parts to that: One was the State Patrol Crime Scene Response Team’s examination of the scene. The other part of that is the laboratory examination of evidence at the State Patrol Crime Lab.”
The two-story home in which the shooting occurred was returned to its owner, Bobby J. Smith, two days after the incident.
Police on June 28 confirmed that Smith, 58, was the shooter.
Smith was not arrested in connection with the shooting.
He has not been charged with a crime.
According to initial reports, Smith phoned dispatchers at 1:25 p.m. June 20 to say he had been involved in a shooting with a neighbor.
Fowler lived next door to Smith at 209 E. Vashon Ave.
Authorities have declined to say whether Smith acted in self-defense, citing the ongoing investigation.
Clallam County Deputy Prosecuting Attorney John Troberg would not speculate Thursday on whether charges would be filed.
Viada said Smith has been “completely” cooperative with investigators.
The State Patrol is conducting the DNA tests at its Marysville lab. Viada said he has no way of knowing when those tests will be finished.
Viada described the Port Angeles shooting as a “high-priority” case. But that doesn’t preclude other cases from taking precedence, he added.
One day after the shooting, neighbors remembered Fowler as a friendly man who mowed other people’s lawns and gave toys to children.
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Reporter Rob Ollikainen can be reached at 360-417-3537 or at rob.ollikainen@peninsuladailynews.com.