By Roger Harnack
Chronicle staff

     OKANOGAN - An award-winning Seattle city engineer heard anticipated charges July 20 of second-degree murder and reckless endangerment following the shooting of a Black Diamond man in Twisp.
     Kino Michael Gomez, 57, Seattle, appeared in Okanogan County Superior Court after being arrested in the fatal shooting of Tom Pfaeffle, 49, on Friday night, July 17.
     The men, who were staying next door to each other at the Blue Spruce Motel, 1321 N. Methow Valley Highway, Twisp, apparently did not know each other, police said.
     Attorney Michael Haas, who is representing Gomez, said in court that his client was sleeping in Room 7 when Pfaeffle accidentally tried to enter the wrong motel room at about 10:40 p.m.
     In what Haas called a "seriously horrible" accident that lacked grounds for a murder charge, the attorney told Judge Jack Burchard that Pfaeffle's death was the result of a mistake by the victim awakening Gomez from a deep sleep.
     Police reports said Pfaeffle and his wife had just checked into Room 8.
     Gomez, who was sleeping with two 40-caliber Glock handguns, awoke and thought he saw someone coming in the motel room door and began shooting in self defense, Haas said.
     The state sought bail of $500,000.
     Burchard set bail at $100,000, agreeing with Haas’ request for lower bail by saying Gomez seemed to be a fairly responsible person.
     Pfaeffle, who died at Mid-Valley Hospital in Omak two hours after being shot, is well-known in the music industry.
     He owned and operated his own recording studio, The Tank Studio, and also was an Art Institute of Seattle instructor.
     According to his Web site, www.thetankstudio.com, during his 30 years in the music business, Pfaeffle worked with a number of top bands including Heart, Nirvana, Aerosmith, The Black Crowes, Great White, Queensryche, Scorpions, UB40, Alice Cooper, Rodney Crowell, B.B. King and others.
     More on the story will appear in this week's Chronicle newspaper.
- Prepared by Omak Chronicle staff