Additional charges brought in Whatcom County drive-by shootings that left 1 hospitalized
Update
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Additional charges have been brought against a man arrested early Monday morning for his alleged part in three drive-by shootings that left one woman hospitalized, according to Whatcom County Sheriff’s Office spokeswoman Deb Slater.
Alejandro Villa Herrera, 18, of Bellingham was originally arrested on one count of drive-by shooting for his part as the alleged driver of the vehicle involved in two drive-by shootings, one near Custer and one in Ferndale. A 17-year-old unidentified male juvenile was also arrested on one count of drive-by shooting and second-degree unlawful possession of a firearm.
Upon further investigation, Whatcom County Sheriff’s Office Detectives developed probable cause for additional charges regarding an additional drive-by shooting in Blaine that occurred the same morning as the other two shootings, according to Slater.
Detectives also determined that the firearm used in the shootings was reported stolen out of Bonney Lake, Washington in February of 2023, according to Slater.
Based on this new information, one additional count of drive-by shooting as well as second-degree assault and possession of a stolen firearm were added to the charges for Herrera and the unidentified juvenile.
A motivation for the shootings was still undetermined as of Tuesday evening and the investigation is ongoing, according to Slater.
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Original Story
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A woman was hospitalized and two people were arrested early Monday morning after two drive-by shootings in north Whatcom County.
Alejandro Villa Herrera, 18, of Bellingham and a 17-year-old unnamed juvenile were arrested after allegedly participating in the two drive-by shootings.
Whatcom County Sheriff’s Office deputies first responded to a report of a shooting in the 900 block of Willeys Lake Road near Custer at about 1:15 a.m. on July 24. Bullets allegedly came through a home’s bedroom window and struck a woman in the leg, according to Whatcom County Sheriff’s Office spokeswoman Deb Slater. Deputies allegedly found another bullet hole in the siding of the house.
The victim was transported to PeaceHealth St. Joseph Medical Center for treatment of the injury.
About 30 minutes after the first report at around 1:45 a.m., Ferndale police responded to reports of shots being fired in the Eastgate Loop area of Ferndale where a resident’s surveillance camera captured the suspected vehicle involved.
The Bellingham Police Department located a vehicle matching the description from the surveillance camera around 2:15 a.m. Based on the timing, distance between shooting locations and vehicle description, police stopped the vehicle and detained multiple people, including Herrera and the 17-year-old juvenile, according to Slater.
Herrera admitted to driving in the area of Custer when a passenger, the juvenile, used a handgun to fire several shots out of the window. Herrera then told police he drove to Ferndale where the juvenile again fired shots out of the vehicle window, according to Slater.
Police allegedly recovered a handgun and several shell casings from the vehicle where the passenger was sitting.
“This case is indicative of the increase in violent crime that has occurred over the past several years, as well as the reckless disregard for human life,” said Undersheriff Doug Chadwick in a news release about the arrests.
“Upon receiving the reports of shots fired, multiple law enforcement agencies responded and quickly identified the suspect vehicle and took two suspects into custody,” Chadwick said.
Herrera was arrested for drive-by shooting while the 17-year-old juvenile was arrested for drive-by shooting and second-degree unlawful possession of a firearm. Herrera was booked into the Whatcom County Jail. He remained there as of Monday evening, according to Whatcom County jail records. The juvenile was booked into Juvenile Detention, according to Slater.
This is an active investigation and additional criminal charges may be filed, Slater said.
