FERNDALE, Wash. — First responders were dispatched after 1am on Monday, July 24th, to the 900 block of Willeys Lake Road due to a report of an adult with a gunshot wound.
According to unconfirmed radio transmissions at the time, initial reports from the scene were that the gunshot had been fired from outside the residence and the victim was transported to PeaceHealth St Joseph Medical Center.
Law enforcement were dispatched to reports of shots fired in other locations in Blaine and Ferndale around the same time. Bellingham Police reported having detained 4 juveniles and 2 adults in a vehicle matching the description of a suspect vehicle.
According to Whatcom County Jail records, Alejandro Villa Herrera, age 18, had been booked into the jail by WCSO about 4am and charged with suspicion of drive-by shooting and 1st-degree assault.
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Click for more informationThe Whatcom County Sheriff’s Office later issued the following press release regarding these incidents.
On July 24th around 1:15 am, deputies responded to the 900 block of Willey’s Lake Road for a report of a shooting. Reports were a bullet had come through a window and struck a victim in the leg. Deputies observed two bullet holes in the victim’s bedroom window and a third bullet hole in the siding of the house. The victim was transported to PeaceHealth St. Joseph Medical Center for treatment to her leg.
Around 1:45 am, Ferndale Police responded to a report of shots being fired in the Eastgate Loop area in Ferndale. A resident’s surveillance camera captured the suspect vehicle. A vehicle matching the description was located by Bellingham Police Department at 2:15 am. Based on the time and distance between shooting locations and matching vehicle description, the vehicle was stopped and several subjects were detained.
18-year-old Alejandro Villa Herrera of Bellingham was the driver of the vehicle. Mr. Villa Herrera admitted to driving in the area of Custer, north of Ferndale when his passenger, a 17-year-old male, presented a handgun and fired several shots out of the window. Mr. Villa Herrera said he then drove to the Ferndale area where the juvenile passenger again fired shots outside the truck window. A handgun and several shell casings were recovered from the vehicle where the passenger was sitting.
Based on the Willey’s Lake Rd incident, deputies developed probable cause to arrest Mr. Villa Herrera for Drive By Shooting and the juvenile for Drive By Shooting and Unlawful Possession of a Firearm 2nd. The juvenile was booked into Juvenile Detention and Mr. Villa Herrera was booked into Whatcom County Jail.
This is an active investigation. Additional criminal charges may be forthcoming. Whatcom County Sheriff’s Office (July 24, 2023)