Homeowner shoots contractor- update

Last September, The Grinder reported that a contractor, Scott Howard, 51, had been shot and killed by a homeowner in Spanaway, Washington.

Earlier this month, the case went to trial in Pierce County Superior Court, and the 74-year-old homeowner was found guilty of second-degree murder.

Order of events

Below is a timeline of how things went down:

• The homeowner, Yoon Myong Bang, is unhappy with the quality of work and informs the contractor he doesn’t plan on paying and instructs him to leave the home.
• The contractor threatens to destroy the already completed work and went out to retrieve a hammer from his truck.
• The homeowner arms himself with a handgun
• Howard comes back in, and strikes the vanity with a hammer but does no damage
• Bang points the gun at Howard and says (allegedly) “If you bust my tile up, I’m going to shoot you.”
• Howard immediately exits the bathroom with the homeowner following. They get around the corner and a gunshot was heard by another contractor in the home, an eyewitness.
• The second contractor observes Howard lying on the floor bleeding from his head and calls 911.
• While outside on the phone he hears another gunshot.
• Bang’s attorney reports that Howard had regained consciousness and was striking the homeowner.
• The second shot severed Howard’s spine and killed him
• The Sheriff arrives and arrested Bang, the homeowner.

Previously, it was reported that the homeowner was charged with first-degree murder which involves premeditation. However, the jury found Yoon Myong Bang not guilty of first-degree murder and first-degree assault.

Sentencing will happen later this month. Standard sentences range from 10-18 years. According to The News Tribune, because Bang was armed with a firearm, he is required to serve an additional five years.

History

Both Bang and Howard were described by others that knew them as being quick to anger.

Scott Howard, the father of three children, was described as being “hot-tempered” by his girlfriend.

Additionally, according to court records, Howard had three active domestic-violence protection orders against him including another, almost identical incident.

In 2021, a different homeowner allegedly refused to pay Howard because of the quality of work and threatened him with a gun after Howard threatened to beat the homeowner.

Bang’s wife said that she wasn’t aware of any prior incidents in her husband’s past but said that they are Korean, and “Koreans have ‘short tempers.”

Settling Disputes

As I’ve mentioned with the Colorado Sledgehammer incident, there are ways to settle disputes that don’t require violence. Namely:

• Have a payment schedule that both parties agree to and stick to it
• Know your state’s lien laws (they are different from state to state)

A few thousand dollars isn’t worth losing your life over or going to jail because you can’t keep your emotions in check.

Stay safe and be profitable.