A 23-year-old man was shot and killed Tuesday during a marketing shoot for a dog training business in Thurston County, according to the Thurston County Sheriff’s Office. Deputies arrested the dog training business owner, Wayne Curry, at the scene and booked him on an investigation of first-degree manslaughter, officials said.

Law enforcement responded to the area of Forstrom Road Southwest and 183rd Avenue Southwest after receiving reports of a shooting during the video production. When deputies arrived they located the victim, who was later pronounced deceased at the scene, and took the handler into custody, the sheriff’s office said.

Witnesses described chaotic moments as events unfolded on the property. “The next thing everyone knew, they heard a groan from [the victim], and he collapsed,” one witness told investigators, according to local reporting. Those at the scene reported that the handler was holding a leashed dog in one hand and a rifle in the other when the firearm discharged.

People who were present said the victim was bleeding from the head and investigators later determined he had been struck in the face, the sheriff’s office said. The incident involved a single dog on site, described by witnesses and deputies as a leashed dog being held by the handler during the shoot.

Deputies secured the area and investigators from the sheriff’s office conducted an on-scene investigation. The agency said it had opened a criminal investigation into the shooting and remained the lead agency handling the case. Officials collected evidence at the scene as part of the ongoing inquiry, and the investigation continues.

The handler was arrested at the location on an investigation of first-degree manslaughter, according to the sheriff’s office. No further identifying information about the victim or the handler was released in the initial statement, and investigators did not immediately provide details on the sequence of events that led to the firearm discharging beyond witness accounts.

Local media coverage of the incident included reporting by King5, which relayed the sheriff’s office statement and the sequence described by witnesses. The outlet noted deputies’ response to the Forstrom Road Southwest and 183rd Avenue Southwest area and the subsequent arrest of the handler.

Authorities urged patience as detectives continued to process the scene and gather statements from witnesses who were present during the marketing shoot. The sheriff’s office said it would provide additional information as the investigation progressed and as appropriate under the constraints of an active criminal inquiry.

The shooting drew a rapid response from law enforcement and prompted an active investigative presence at the site. Deputies worked to secure evidence, interview witnesses and document the scene in the hours following the incident. The sheriff’s office has not released a timeline for when additional details or potential charges beyond the initial manslaughter investigation might be announced.

As the investigation continues, the Thurston County Sheriff’s Office remains the lead agency on the case. The department’s initial public statement emphasized that the matter was under active investigation and that investigators were continuing to piece together the circumstances surrounding the discharge of the weapon during the dog training video shoot.

Source

Original reporting: King5.