Man shot, killed in Twisp motel

A 49-year-old man was shot and killed in a Twisp motel Friday night (July 17) when he tried to enter the wrong room, and the alleged shooter has been booked into the county jail. 

The incident occurred at 10:41 p.m.

The victim, Thomas Pfaeffle of Black Diamond, Wash., apparently mistakenly tried to unlock the wrong door at the Blue Spruce Motel, where he was staying with his wife. He was shot through the door from within the room and collapsed behind parked cars in front of the motel units, according to a report from Twisp Police Chief Rick Balam. Pfaeffle was taken to Mid-Valley Hospital in Omak, where he died from his wounds two hours later.

Another hotel guest, from Renton, suffered minor injuries when another shot came through the wall of the hotel unit. He did not require medical attention, according to Balam.

Police said the suspect, a 57-year-old man from Seattle, was still inside his room when they arrived. Balam was able to contact him by phone and he agreed to come out. He was arrested without incident and booked for Second Degree Murder and Assault in the Second Degree. Though police have not released his name, a man named Kino Michael Gomez, 57, was booked into Okanogan County Jail at 3:30 a.m. Saturday (July 18) on those same charges, according to the Okanogan County Sheriff's booking log.

Pfaeffle was a master live concert audio mixer, owner of The Tank recording studio in Black Diamond. He has worked with bands like Nirvana, Queensryche, Aerosmith, Alice Cooper, B.B. King and the Black Crowes.

–JH