BELLINGHAM, WA (MyBellinghamNow.com) – A young man is in critical condition, and another is in custody following an apparent accidental shooting in Bellingham
Court documents and Bellingham Police state that the suspect called 911 on the evening of Sunday, May 18 to report someone had been shot inside an apartment.
The victim, 18-year-old Alejandro Pallares, was found unconscious and was transported to PeaceHealth St. Joseph Medical Center.
Officers detained the suspect, identified as an 18-year-old man. He admitted on the phone to 911 that the gun belonged to the victim and that he didn’t know it was loaded.
A witness told investigators that both men were messing with a laser device on the gun when it was accidentally fired.
The suspect cannot possess a gun in the state of Washington due to being underage and he has a prior felony conviction.
He remains at the Whatcom County Jail on $1 million bail.
The victim’s mother, Leidis Cruz Martinez, says he was just two weeks away from graduating from Ferndale High School. Pallares also worked at Wendy’s on Slater Road.
Cruz Martinez says Pallares is on life support with no chance for recovery and that they’re devastated by this tragedy. She also says he is an organ donor.
A link to the family’s GoFundMe can be found here.
