DA: Bend man shot neighbor who killed roommate, ‘hunted him down’

(Update: More comments from DA; all evidence points to self-defense)

A Bend man shot and killed his next-door neighbor who entered his house early Saturday and awakened his roommate, then left, returned and fired several rifle shots through the living room window, killing the roommate, Deschutes County District Attorney John Hummel said Monday. He said the neighbor then went back inside and was “methodically hunting down” the man, who ran upstairs to hide, grabbed his handgun and fatally shot him.

“The sleepy Northeast Bend neighborhood of McCall Landing was the scene of a horrific and tragic incident that resulted in the deaths of 33-year-old Bend resident Kyle Adams and 31-year-old Bend resident Tyler Herrick,” Hummel said in a statement issued late Monday afternoon, which continues as follows:

“Adams was asleep in his bedroom when he was awakened by his neighbor, Herrick, who was standing in the bedroom. Herrick had no permission to be in the house, much less Adams’ bedroom. Herrick spouted off unintelligible gibberish and Adams demanded that he leave. Herrick left the bedroom and the house.

“Adams texted his roommate, 31-year old Bend resident Brennan Pebbles. Adams told Pebbles that Herrick had entered the house without permission. Pebbles immediately came home from work.

“Adams and Pebbles were in their living room, discussing what Herrick had done. While they were talking, and unbeknownst to them, Herrick approached the front yard of their home with an AR-15 rifle.

“Herrick stood in front of the living room window, aimed his rifle at Adams and Pebbles, and fired multiple shots that shattered the front window. At least one of the rounds struck Adams, who eventually died from his injury.

“Pebbles fled from the living room and ran upstairs. Once upstairs, he grabbed his (9mm handgun) and hid in the bathroom of the master bedroom. Herrick fired multiple shots at the front door, and entered the home and methodically hunted Pebbles down in a room-to-room search. When Herrick entered the master bedroom, Pebbles shot and killed him.

“Herrick had no justification to be in Adams and Pebbles’ home and no justification to open fire on them. Adams and Pebbles had done nothing to entice Herrick or to cause his ire. “The investigation into what caused Herrick to do what he did is continuing. What is clear now is that Pebbles’ decision to shoot Herrick was legally authorized and saved his life.

“Statement from Deschutes County District Attorney Hummel:

“My heart goes out to Brennan Pebbles as he struggles with the pain of seeing his friend murdered next to him, being hunted down himself, and then shooting and killing the assailant to save his life. Kyle Adams’ family is mourning the loss of a loved one who went to bed in his own home and woke up in a war zone. He did nothing wrong and will be missed. Why did Tyler Herrick do what he did? We don’t know yet but won’t stop digging until we figure it out. Our community deserves answers and we’ll do our best to provide them.”

As a result, Hummel told NewsChannel 21 no charges are expected to be filed, as Pebbles was fully cooperative with investigators and all evidence points to self-defense.

The neighbors were acquaintances but not close friends with Herrick, Hummel added.

“There was nothing that Adams or Pebbles did to warrant Herrick doing this,” he said. “They did not entice him, they did not do something that would cause him to think he needed to do this.”

Oregon court records show none of the three men have had criminal records.

“Why does someone with no criminal record do this? We are looking at every angle to determine the why,” the DA said. “The public rightfully wants to know why. We are looking at potential mental health issues or potential drug or alcohol issues.

“We don’t know yet the why. We have some solid leads, but we haven’t reached any conclusions. And when we do, I’ll notify the public,” Hummel added.