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West Michigan man shot and killed in his sleep while on vacation

Posted at 10:43 PM, Aug 19, 2014
and last updated 2014-08-19 23:08:08-04

WALKER, Mich. -- David Hortman, who owned a home in Walker, was shot and killed Tuesday morning as he slept in his RV parked along the Pacific Ocean in Coos County, Ore.

Police in Oregon said the gunman, Zachary Brimhall, shot at total of five vehicles, killing Hortman, 43, and then turned the gun on himself.

Investigators said they also found "bomb-making materials" in the suspect's car.

Coos County District Attorney R. Paul Fraiser said Brimhall was responsible for Hortman's death as well as his own father, Ray Brimhall, who was found shot to death about 50 miles from the scene of Hortman's death.

According to the Hortman's family, he owned three homes, including one in Walker.

Loved ones describe the victim as a "free spirit" who loved to travel.

"He wanted to write a book about his mom, my grandma," said his niece, Jessica Hortman, "about what she did in Germany and when she moved over here."

The Coos County Sheriff's Department continues to investigate the shootings.