Bellingham man shoots brother in leg in domestic dispute

Dec. 4, 2018 update: Nathan Andrew Valley was not charged. Prosecuting Attorney Dave McEachran said it was determined that there was insufficient evidence to support filing a criminal charge.

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BELLINGHAM - A Bellingham man was arrested this weekend after shooting his brother in the leg in a dispute at his home, according to the Whatcom County Sheriff’s Office.

Nathan Andrew Valley, 26, told deputies his brother and others refused to leave his home around 7:45 p.m. Friday in the 5100 block of Hannegan Road. Two of his adult brothers got into a fight, and Valley went to his room to grab a .22 caliber Walther P22, said Undersheriff Jeff Parks.

According to Valley’s report, one of the brothers, 29, lunged at him, so he fired one shot into the ground and one shot into his brother’s left leg.

Sheriff’s deputies tracked down the brother, who left the home in a car, about 2 miles north in the 700 block of East Axton Road, Parks said. He’d suffered gunshot wounds to his left leg and right foot. He was treated at St. Joseph hospital.

Deputies booked Valley into jail early Saturday on suspicion of first-degree assault. Over the weekend Valley’s bail was set at $20,000, and he posted bond on Monday afternoon.

This story was originally published March 27, 2017 at 4:54 PM with the headline "Bellingham man shoots brother in leg in domestic dispute."