‘Deserved to Be Dead’: 76-Year-Old Washington Man Accused of Shooting Noisy Neighbor

A 76-year-old Washington man allegedly had an ongoing dispute with his neighbor about making too much noise, and now police say the man allegedly shot and killed his neighbor.

Around 4 p.m. on Oct. 4, first responders were dispatched to a home in Blaine after a 911 caller reported Wayne Mahar shot his neighbor, according to the Whatcom County Sheriff’s Office.

The caller reportedly heard gunshots, went outside and allegedly saw Mahar on his porch holding a gun, police said.

The neighbor spotted the victim lying in his driveway, so she asked Mahar if he shot the man. His response, she said, was “Yeah,” according to officials.

Deputies arrived at the scene and unsuccessfully attempted to revive the victim with CPR, and he was declared dead at the scene.

Mahar was arrested without incident, officers said.

Investigators determined Mahar allegedly “threatened to kill the victim because he was throwing rocks at his house and making too much noise.”

Mahar told police the victim “was an a****** who deserved to be dead,” authorities said.

Mahar allegedly confessed that he wanted to kill his neighbor, but he couldn’t provide investigators with any alleged threats or other previous types of harassment that the victim allegedly made toward him, according to police.

The elderly man told detectives he consumed one shot of alcohol on the day the shooting took place, KING-TV reported. However, officials said his blood alcohol level was .189, more than two times Washington’s legal limit.

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Mahar was booked into the Whatcom County Jail and charged with first-degree murder, officials said.

He is being held on a $2 million bond.

According to KING-TV, Mahar reportedly made a noise complaint against the victim on Nov. 17, 2022. He allegedly told police that he wanted to kill the victim, but authorities told him to let the Sheriff’s Office deal with the issue, police said.

The day before the victim’s shooting death, Mahar allegedly threatened to kill the victim again, KING-TV reported.