A man from Vancouver has been sentenced to almost seven years in prison after fatally shooting another man with a pellet gun. The case has been described as bizarre by both prosecuting and defense attorneys.
Mickey Alan Day, aged 47, pleaded guilty to second-degree manslaughter in Clark County Superior Court. Originally charged with first-degree manslaughter, Day received a recommended sentence of 83 months, which was considered exceptionally short given his extensive criminal history.
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The case was deemed unusual due to several factual oddities. On July 12, 2021, Vancouver police discovered the body of Joshua Beatty, aged 36, in the driver’s seat of a van in a parking lot. Initially, officers were unable to determine the cause of Beatty’s death, but it was later discovered that he had been shot with a pellet, with an entry wound found on his torso.
During the investigation, police found messages on Beatty’s phone exchanged with an account under the name of Day’s wife. The messages suggested that Beatty believed he was communicating with Day’s 14-year-old niece. However, it remains unclear whether Beatty was actually talking to the girl or if Day’s wife was pretending to be her.
The incident unfolded when Beatty arrived at a predetermined meeting place. Day’s wife and another man confronted him, while Day himself was inside a nearby motor home. During the confrontation, a window of Beatty’s van was broken, and he likely exited the vehicle with a firearm.
Video footage of the incident was inconclusive, and despite efforts to identify each figure in the video, investigators were unable to do so. However, the sound of a pellet gun firing could be heard.
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The defense argued that Day may have acted in self-defense or in defense of others, but it was unclear if he had been waiting for Beatty or had simply reacted to the argument involving his wife. Day decided to accept the plea deal to avoid the risk of a jury not believing his claim of self-defense.
In court, Day expressed remorse and stated that he felt he had no other option but to protect his wife. He stated, “I didn’t want to watch my wife get killed in front of me.”
