Prosecutors file first-degree murder charges in Belfair shooting death of man in shower
Prosecutors have filed first-degree murder charges in the case of a Belfair man fatally shooting an intruder in his shower on Saturday.
Belfair resident Bruce F. Fanning was initially booked into the Mason County Jail on suspicion of second-degree murder. But the county prosecutor’s office filed a first-degree murder charge instead on Wednesday.
“Bruce Frank Fanning ... with premeditated intent to cause the death of another person, did cause the death of Nathaniel J. Rosa, a human being, who died on or about April l, 2017,” the charging document reads.
A judge set bail Monday at $250,000.
Fanning was arrested Saturday after calling 911 to report that he had shot and killed an intruder inside his business at 1520 E. Trails Road in Belfair. The business is in one of two houses on Fanning’s property where he lives.
Court documents record this account from Fanning:
He told detectives that he entered the business Saturday morning and found an intruder showering.
He told the intruder to leave, but the man replied with “non-understandable verbal threats.” Fanning said he was afraid and thought the intruder was drunk.
Fanning left the building to retrieve a Smith and Wesson .45-caliber handgun, then returned and shot the intruder three times through the shower curtain, according to court documents.
Fanning called 911 after shooting the man, but had no explanation as to why he didn’t call 911 before retrieving his gun.
The intruder, Rosa, 31, of Bothell, worked as a paraeducator at Woodmoor Elementary School in Bothell.
Chief Criminal Deputy Ryan Spurling of the Mason County Sheriff’s Office told The Olympian that Rosa had been staying at a nearby residence.
The sheriff’s office reports that “statements and evidence in this case do not support necessary/reasonable self-defense at this time.”
Charging document for Bruce Eric Fanning by Amelia Dickson on Scribd
Amelia Dickson: 360-754-5445, @Amelia_Oly
This story was originally published April 5, 2017 at 4:41 PM with the headline "Prosecutors file first-degree murder charges in Belfair shooting death of man in shower."