Investigators search Battle Ground home linked to wildlife shootings

Feb. 19, 2026 Updated Fri., Feb. 20, 2026 at 6:22 p.m.

Tyler Brown, The Columbian Vancouver, Wash.

Battle Ground police detectives served a search warrant Tuesday at a home connected to a monthslong investigation into the shooting of various neighborhood wildlife with blow darts.

Investigators recovered two blowguns and other evidence from a home in the 100 block of Southeast 17th Way, according to a police department news release. The Washington Department of Fish & Wildlife assisted with the search.

Detectives are working to identify suspects in the case.

In November, officers responded to the neighborhood near South Parkway Avenue and Southeast 17th Way after residents reported seeing multiple young men, estimated to be between the ages of 18 and 25, shooting squirrels and raccoons with a blow dart gun. Police found several razor-tipped darts at the scene, with some embedded in the siding of homes, on rooftops and in trees, the news release states.

Police later received additional reports of injured raccoons, squirrels and an adult deer pierced by darts in the same area. Residents also reported hearing the discharge of pellet guns and a possible .22-caliber rifle, according to the news release.

Four live ducks were discovered with blow darts lodged in their bodies at Florence Robison Park, less than 2 miles from the original incidents. One duck received veterinary treatment, but the remaining three have not yet been recovered, the news release states.

In late December, an 18-year-old Battle Ground man was charged with multiple counts of animal cruelty for allegedly shooting squirrels with a blow dart gun at Lewisville Regional Park.

Battle Ground police spokesperson Alisha Smith said there’s no information at this time connecting these cases to the Lewisville Park case.

It is illegal to discharge weapons — including blow darts, BB guns and air compression rifles — within Battle Ground city limits. Violators face gross misdemeanor charges. Police also noted that due to the volume and severity of the recent incidents, those responsible could face charges of reckless endangerment and first- or second-degree animal cruelty, alongside potential wildlife violations determined by the Department of Fish & Wildlife.

Anyone with information should contact Detective Josh Phelps at joshua.phelps@cityofbg.org.

To report injured wildlife, contact the Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife Enforcement office at 360-902-2936 or submit a report through the online reporting tool at www.wdfw.wa.gov/get-involved/report-observations.

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