Brother held in fatal shooting of sibling in dispute over cattle

An Arlington-area rancher accused of fatally shooting his older brother in a dispute over cattle is being held in Snohomish County Jail for investigation of second-degree murder.

Mark Hillis, 47, was booked into the jail on Saturday after Snohomish County Jail sheriff's deputies found his brother, John Hillis, dead on a concrete pad near the back porch of their mother's home, according to a probable-cause affidavit filed in court after Hollis' arrest. Medics found what appeared to be a "small-caliber gunshot wound" on the slain man's back, the affidavit said.

Deputies were called to the home at 16200 block of Grant Creek Road at 2:01 p.m. Saturday for a domestic-violence call.

Madonna Hillis told investigators that her son, Mark, had shot his brother, but she didn't know if the injury sustained by John Hillis, 52, was from a bullet or from his head hitting the ground, the affidavit said.

Madonna Hillis said that her sons "fight all the time," the affidavit said. The brothers have a history of court filings accusing the other of harassment, according to a criminal-records check.

Mark Hillis lives with his mother in the house where the shooting happened. John Hillis lived with his wife in a house down the road on the same property. The Hillis family owns several acres and raise cattle, Madonna Hillis told investigators.

Madonna Hillis did not return a call on Monday for comment.

On Saturday, John Hillis came to his mother's house to ask about moving cattle from one area of the property to another. At some point, Mark Hillis grew upset, grabbed a gun from his bedroom and fired a warning shot, the affidavit said.

A second shot was fired as John Hillis turned to leave, Madonna Hillis said. The elder brother was apparently struck.

When deputies talked to Mark Hillis after the shooting they noted that he had a scratch on the top of his head and dried blood around his lips, the affidavit said. Hillis declined to talk to police and requested a lawyer.

Hillis is being held in lieu of $1 million bail.

Jennifer Sullivan: 206-464-8294 or jensullivan@seattletimes.com