Shots fired inside Bellingham apartment party

BELLINGHAM, Wash. — Multiple charges are being pursued by the Whatcom County Prosecutor’s Office after a Bellingham man is reported to have fired a handgun inside an apartment during a party.

According to an affidavit of probable cause filed in Whatcom County Superior Court, Bellingham Police investigated the incident which was said to have occurred on March 27th around 1:20am in an apartment in the 4000 block of Northwest Avenue in Bellingham.

According to the affidavit, the girlfriend of the suspect was in the apartment “partying with friends” when the suspect, who reportedly lived in a nearby apartment, knocked on the door. When the door was opened, the suspect began yelling for his girlfriend to leave. The suspect was asked to leave by some of the party guests. When he refused to do so, they began pushing him out the door.

Click for more information

The suspect then pulled a handgun and fired at least 4 times in the direction of the guests pushing him out the door. No one was struck by any of the bullets and the suspect was gone by the time Bellingham Police arrived and 4 bullet holes and 4 shell casings were located in the apartment by investigators.

Based on interviews with the victims and witnesses and further investigation, a warrant was issued for the arrest of the suspect, identified by Bellingham Police as Adrian Martinez-Medina, age 26.

Martinez-Medina pled guilty to the felony crime of drive-by shooting from an incident in Lynden in 2016 and is not allowed to possess a firearm as a result.

Click for more information

Martinez-Medina was arrested and booked into the Whatcom County Jail on April 1st and charged with suspicion of unlawful possession of a weapon, 2nd degree assault and 1st degree burglary according to jail records. These are all felony crimes.

According to court records additional felony charges of 1st and 2nd degree assault with a deadly weapon are being pursued by prosecutors.

Martinez-Medina remained in custody as of April 3rd pending being able to post a $500,000 bail bond according to jail records.