FORKS — A fatal shooting Tuesday afternoon was the culmination of a dispute over a relationship, investigators theorized Wednesday.
Robert Coberly Jr., 46, of Forks was shot in the head while threatening another man with a knife, the Clallam County Sheriff’s Department reported.
The other man, Noe Cordova Barron, 29, offered no resistance to responding officers and cooperated with investigators who spent Tuesday piecing together the incident.
Cordova Barron, a Mexican national, was booked into the Clallam County jail for investigation of being felony alien in possession of a firearm without a license. U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement has put a hold on his case, the statement said.
Investigators believe the shooting was self-defense, Clallam County Undersheriff Rich Sill said.
Found unconscious
Deputies found Coberly unconscious at Cordova Barron’s residence at 41 King’s Ranch Road just beyond the eastern Forks city limit about 10:50 a.m.
A helicopter was summoned to rush Coberly to Harborview Medical Center, Cameron said, but he died at Forks Community Hospital.
Deputies responded twice to the residence during the night.
Coberly then arrived at Cordova Barron’s home shortly before the shooting, said the statement from the department.
Coberly allegedly brandished a knife and began threatening Cordova Barron, who pulled out a .38 caliber pistol, shooting a warning shot into the air, said the statement.
Coberly continued to threaten Cordova Barron with the knife. Cordova Barron fired a second shot, hitting Coberly in the head, the Sheriff’s Department reported.
Responding deputies found a knife allegedly in Coberly’s hand when they arrived.
Twice during the previous night, deputies responded to the residence.