PORT ANGELES — A Port Angeles man’s condition had been upgraded from critical to serious at a Seattle hospital after he was shot Monday.
James J. “Jay” Barnett, 55, was listed in serious condition Saturday in Harborview Medical Center in Seattle, where he was flown after he was shot inside his home on South Chase Street.
No arrest has been made in the shooting. Police continue investigating the dispute, which also resulted in injuries to Barnett’s brother-in-law, Michael E. Johnson, 57, said Deputy Police Chief Brian Smith.
Port Angeles police said Johnson shot Barnett several times with a .45-caliber handgun after Barnett kicked open the door to Johnson’s room. Some of Johnson’s teeth were knocked out.
Johnson was treated at Olympic Medical Center and discharged.
A family friend is seeking help for the Barnetts’ expenses.
Mona Shelton, who described Barnett as “the most generous, kind, caring, easygoing man I’ve ever known,” has set up the Jay Barnett Fund at First Federal.
Donations can be made at any branch or mailed to First Federal, 227 E. Sixth St., Port Angeles WA 98362.
Meanwhile, Barnett’s wife, Karen, has been spending a great deal of time with her husband in the intensive care unit at Harborview, according to Shelton.
“It’s a miracle he’s alive,” said Shelton, who said she’d known the Barnetts for 40 years.
Karen Barnett and a 6-year-old granddaughter were unhurt. Police found them outside the home when they arrived at the scene Monday night.
Officers established a perimeter around the house and began calling to the two men.
They eventually talked Johnson into leaving the house. They went inside and found Barnett in a bedroom.
