Man in custody after trying to burn himself

A West Plains man said Tuesday that he wanted to show his former girlfriend of 12 years how much he loved her when he poured gasoline over his body and tried to burn himself to death.

But Bryan Kevin Rapp, 41, said in a jailhouse interview late Tuesday that his lighter wouldn’t work because of the wind as he held his girlfriend by her hair.

“We got into an argument. I dumped gas on myself and then tried to set myself on fire,” Rapp said at the Spokane County Jail. “I ended up hitting her.”

The suicide attempt and reported assault at 9:25 a.m. in the 8900 block of West Westbow Boulevard started a series of events that included a manhunt for Rapp and a 40-minute standoff as he talked to his former girlfriend on a cell phone.

It finally ended about 11:30 a.m. when Rapp agreed to come out of a friend’s single-wide trailer in the 7700 block of West Westbow and was taken into custody.

Deputies initially thought they were investigating an attempted suicide, but the situation quickly escalated, Reagan said. “It became more involved when he started making statements about suicide-by-cop,” Reagan said.

Reagan said Rapp’s ex-girlfriend, whom authorities wouldn’t name, told police that Rapp grabbed her around the neck and splashed some of the gas on her.

In the jailhouse interview, Rapp said he never grabbed her neck. “I grabbed her hair. I hit her. I wanted to kill myself. I told her I didn’t want to live without her,” Rapp said. “I asked her to get in the truck with me. She wouldn’t, so I left.”

A friend of the ex-girlfriend saw what was happening and called 911, Reagan said.

“When he saw her friend calling 911, he released (the ex-girlfriend) and started chasing the friend,” Reagan said. “He wasn’t able to catch her. He then got in a pickup and drove away.”

Rapp denied ever chasing the friend.

Deputies searched for Rapp for about an hour before finding him at the trailer.

Three other people were inside the trailer, but it’s not clear if they knew what was happening, Reagan said.

The ex-girlfriend had several conversations with Rapp by cell phone. During one of those conversations, Rapp claimed he was going to commit suicide by cop, Reagan said.

Rapp confirmed that during the interview. “I said they are so trigger-happy, I figured they would help me out.”

Several deputies surrounded the home and two Washington State Patrol troopers blocked the road while they waited for Rapp to come out.

“Ultimately he came out and gave himself up,” Reagan said.

Rapp had already changed out of the orange T-shirt and brown Carhartt coveralls he was wearing when he doused himself with the gasoline. Rapp said in the interview that he took off the gas-soaked clothes and showered at his friend’s home.

“This is how they help me? They lock me up,” Rapp said. “All I have is one pair of black sweat pants, no teeth, no camper, no truck, no billfold, no nothing.”