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Documents: West Michigan man’s killer planned shooting for several days

Posted at 5:27 PM, Aug 22, 2014
and last updated 2014-08-22 17:54:34-04

COOS COUNTY, Ore. -- The 32-year-old man who police say shot and killed a West Michigan man vacationing in Oregon had been planning his rampage for several days.

Documents released by the Coos County District Attorney's office detail Zachary Brimhall's plans to kill people before turning the gun on himself.

"I just wish I had done it sooner, and that I could take more people me [sic] with me," one of two notes found in Brimhall's notebook says.

Police say on Aug. 19 Brimhall shot his father, 58-year-old William Raymond Brimhall, after calling him to tell him his car wasn't working.

The documents say Brimhall then drove roughly 50 miles to the area of Bastendorff Beach and opened fire on a number of vehicles.

David Hortman, 43, of Walker was sleeping in his vehicle when Brimhall shot it 18 times.  No one else in the five vehicles Brimall shot was killed.

Investigators found several other firearms and bomb making materials.  The attorney's office says that while the incident was tragic, it could have been much worse.  Directly to the east of where Brimhall shot Hortman is a more heavily populated campground.