MAPLE FALLS, Wash. — Bellingham Police Department personnel booked a 60-year-old Maple Falls man into the Skagit County Jail in Burlington just before 10pm yesterday, Thursday, February 10th.
According to jail records, Joel Berck Young, age 60, was booked into the jail to be held in custody on behalf of another agency due to an unspecified offense that occurred about 4:20pm yesterday for which he was arrested in the 3000 block of Green Valley Drive.
Yesterday, Whatcom County Sheriff’s Office (WCSO) deputies had responded to a report of neighbors in the area shooting at each other about 4:15pm. By 4:45pm, deputies reported having been fired upon and 2 had sustained injuries.
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Click for more informationLate yesterday, WCSO officials said 9pm issued a statement saying, “as of this evening, both injured deputies are [in the hospital and] conscious, alert and in stable condition” It added that the investigation is being led by a Law Enforcement Mutual Aid Response Team (LEMART). Any additional information about the investigation should be directed to the Bellingham Police Department.
Washington State law requires independent investigations of certain incidents involving a law enforcement officer’s use of deadly force. Such an investigation is conducted the as any other criminal investigation but not by the involved agency.
Whatcom County’s independent investigation team is called LEMART and consists of a team of peace officer investigators as well as a pool of non-law enforcement community volunteer representatives who operate independently of any involved agency.
Since WCSO is responsible for the operation and management of the Whatcom County Jail it would be necessary for Young to be held in the nearby Skagit County Jail during the investigation.