BELLINGHAM, Wash. — While Bellingham Police continue to investigate a shooting that apparently followed a road rage incident, they are encouraging anyone who may have witnessed the incident to contact them with information.
According to an affidavit of probable cause filed in Whatcom County Superior Court, Bellingham Police Department (BPD) officers were notified about 9:10am on Sunday, August 18th, that a man had been admitted to PeaceHealth St Joseph Medical Center with a gunshot wound. The man told police he was shot by another motorist during a confrontation on Iowa Street. He said he had approached the other driver in the other vehicle when he was shot. He then drove himself to the emergency department.
A warranted search of the man’s cellphone discovered photos of the other vehicle with its license plate. That information led investigators to a residence less than a mile from the location of the reported shooting. The vehicle was located outside and the person associated with it was detained as they exited the residence.
The person detained, identified as Kipp Bradlee Snell, age 23, told investigators he had been southbound on I-5 when he slowed for traffic. He noticed a vehicle behind him was tailgating and the driver appeared agitated.
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Snell reportedly told investigators that when he left I-5 at the Ohio Street exit, the other vehicle continued to follow him until he stopped at a red light at the intersection of Iowa Street and Moore Street. The driver of the other vehicle got out and approached him spitting and cursing through his open window.
When the other driver grabbed at the door handle, Snell picked up a 9mm handgun from the center console and fired it at the other driver. He said he was not certain if the shot had struck the other driver who retreated to his vehicle and drove off.
Snell drove to his residence and did not call 911 to report the incident. He was arrested and booked into Whatcom County Jail. He now faces a felony charge of 1st-degree assault with a deadly weapon.
Snell appeared at a preliminary hearing on August 19th and posted a $25,000 bond and was released from custody on August 20th.
The BPD Investigations Division is asking anyone who may have witnessed the incident to call 360-778-8645 or visit www.cob.org/tips, referencing case #24B-47842.
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