PORT ANGELES — Clallam County prosecutors have alleged that Shay Clinton Darrow premeditated the Jan. 12 murder of his father.
Darrow, 27, is accused of shooting Clint Leroy Darrow to death in a house they shared in Port Angeles. He now stands charged with first-degree murder.
Shay Darrow was charged Jan. 17 with second-degree intentional murder with domestic violence and a firearm enhancement.
Based on a supplemental police report, Clallam County Chief Criminal Deputy Prosecuting Attorney Michele Devlin on Friday filed a superseding charge of first-degree premeditated murder with domestic violence and a firearm enhancement.
Darrow is scheduled to be arraigned on the new charge at 1:30 p.m. Feb. 10 in Clallam County Superior Court. He is being held on $500,000 bail.
Clint Darrow, 53, owned Van Goes Take &Bake Pizza in Port Angeles.
“Shay initially said he had been thinking about killing his dad for two days,” Port Angeles Police Detective Shane Martin wrote in a supplemental affidavit for probable cause.
“He proceeded to say ‘Basically it was like the night before, pretty much. I just thought about it, so I’m going to do it, I guess.’”
Martin’s supplemental arrest report was based on an interview that he and another detective conducted with Shay Darrow on Jan. 13.
It describes how a “misguided” Darrow came home and fired about 17 rounds at his father through a bathroom door with a semi-automatic .45-caliber pistol.
“After running out of ammunition, Shay walked upstairs to his bedroom and retrieved another loaded magazine,” Martin wrote.
Darrow told police he came downstairs and found his father sitting in a bedroom bracing himself with his arms, Martin said.
Darrow allegedly fired another 12 rounds at his father, Martin said.
“When asked if there were any shots that Shay knew of that hit his dad for sure in the bedroom, he replied, ‘Yeah, there was one to the head,’” Martin wrote.
“He then added, ‘I didn’t want to leave him alive.’
“When asked why, he responded, ‘After I shot him that many times, I just felt, I mean, why, why leave someone alive like that?’ ” Martin said.
Darrow reported the shooting at about 1:13 p.m. Jan. 12.
He was arrested without incident in a parking lot on the 500 block of East Eighth Street.
Darrow told police he had been “fed up” with his father prior to the shooting, according to Martin’s account.
“Shay then indicated that his dad had been ‘rough’ with him when he was younger, but would not elaborate,” Martin said.
A relative and an acquaintance of Darrow’s told police that Shay was schizophrenic and had recently stopped taking his medication.
Efforts were made by family members to take his gun away, according to police.
In a five-minute court hearing Friday, Judge Christopher Melly said there were sufficient facts for the court to find probable cause that Darrow may have committed first-degree murder.
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Reporter Rob Ollikainen can be reached at 360-452-2345, ext. 56450, or at rollikainen@peninsuladailynews.com.
