Shooting suspect says he only returned fire

SANDPOINT — A Bonner County man who was shot during a gunfight in the Pack River Valley last year contends he only returned fire after being struck in the chest.

“I never planned on using a gun on anybody,” Richard Allen Larson told jurors hearing a felony assault case against him.

Larson said he typically arms himself when outdoors because of abundant wildlife such as a bear in moose in the valley.

Larson is charged with two counts of aggravated assault — one count for allegedly threatening his ex-girlfriend with a pistol and another count for firing on John Chester Bilsky, who survived the gun battle unscathed.

The shoot-out occurred last February on Maker’s Way.

Larson allegedly confronted his former girlfriend at a gate she had to pass through in order to reach her home, which was next to Larson’s.

Lora Adams testified on Monday that Larson shut a car door on her hand during the argument and then punched her half a dozen times in the head. Larson pinned her to a snow bank and choked her with one hand and used the other to put a gun to her face.

“Did you ever directly threaten Ms. Adams in any way?” Chief Public Defender Isabella Robertson asked Larson.

“No,” Larson replied.

Larson testified that he slipped in the snowy roadway and fell into the door, causing it to close on her hand. Larson told the jury Adams then attacked him.

“She got out of the car and proceeded to attack me. She came swinging,” Larson told jurors.

Larson admitted striking her in the face once to stem the tide of blows Adams was allegedly administering. By then Bilsky had reached the area of the gate and opened fire, Larson testified. Larson said he returned fire, but was too wounded to aim the shots accurately.

“I was wounded at the point, very seriously wounded,” Larson testified.

Under cross-examination by Chief Deputy Prosecutor Shane Greenbank, Larson admitted being distraught over the demise of his relationship with Adams. Greenbank also confronted Larson with a photograph of Adams’ face after the incident, which appeared to show an abrasion consistent with a gun barrel.

Larson, however, denied putting a gun to her face or threatening her.

Neighboring landowners were called as defense witnesses to recount what they heard or saw on the day of the shooting, but Deputy Prosecutor Katie Murdock noted that their remarks to the jurors were inconsistent with remarks they made to sheriff’s detectives.

Robertson said inconsistencies can be expected with the passage of time following a traumatic event.

Larson’s trial resumes today in 1st District Court.