Roseburg man arrested in Washington homicide

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Story Published: Sep 12, 2009 at 4:33 PM PDT

By Dan Bain KPIC News

LONG BEACH, Wash. - The owner of a Douglas County boat manufacturing company that is under federal investigation has been arrested on a murder charge in southwest Washington.

Long Beach Police report that Brian Brush, 47, of Roseburg, was arrested in Long Beach on the southern Washington coast after three police officers and several others witnessed a fatal shooting Friday.

A press release from the Long Beach Police Department said the shooting happened as the town was jammed with visitors for the annual Rod Run Car Festival.

The dead woman was identified as Lisa Bonney, 45, of Long Beach.

The Police department said three officers and scores of bystanders witnessed the shooting in the area of Bolstad Beach Approach, right in the center of town.

The shooting happened about 4:41 p.m.

Police said they were about 150 yards away when they saw a man fire a gun into the grass on the edge of the approach. They said several witnesses immediately called the 9-1-1 dispatch center to report the shooting.

The officers said they approached the suspect, identified as Brian K. Brush of Roseburg, Ore.

When the suspect saw the officers approaching he threw the gun onto the ground and was taken into custody without incident.

Following an interrogation, Brush was booked into the Pacific County Jail in South Bend, Washington and charged with 1st Degree Murder.

North River Boats in the Green District just south of Roseburg has been under investigation since April for allegedly altering records to show more assets than the company had to obtain more loans from their bank.

Brush had filed for bankruptcy for the retail part of the company and those stores had been closed.

A suit was also filed against Brush on May 4, by a Spokane boat trailer company that claimed they were owed nearly $400,000 by Brush's company.

A second suit was filed by American Express Travel against North River and Brian Brush, claiming he owed more than $486,000 on the balance of an American Express Business Gold Credit Card.

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