Two men allegedly follow Bellingham man, before firing four gunshots in his direction
Two men are suspected in a drive-by shooting after they reportedly followed another to his Bellingham home and fired at least four gunshots in his direction early Tuesday, Dec. 10.
Jonathan Gabriel Gunderson Jr., 19, whom Bellingham Police Lt. Claudia Murphy said is the suspected shooter, was arrested and booked into Whatcom County Jail on suspicion of drive-by shooting, possession of a stolen firearm and unlawful possession of a firearm. Awan Awan Riak, 20, whom Murphy said is believed to have driven the car, was booked on suspicion of drive-by shooting.
The victim was leaving a venue on Civic Field Way on the way home when he noticed a silver four-door Mercedes following him, Murphy said. The Mercedes reportedly kept following several miles to 32nd Street, when it pulled up beside the victim’s car, pacing it while driving the wrong way in the oncoming lane.
The victim told police he saw two men in the Mercedes and braked to let it go past him, Murphy said, but the Mercedes pulled over, waited for the victim to pass and resumed following.
The victim eventually arrived at his home, which is on a dead-end street, and the Mercedes followed and parked near his driveway, Murphy said.
The victim approached the Mercedes to ask why it was following him, Murphy said, when Gunderson, who was sitting in the passenger seat, began firing a handgun in the direction of the victim. Riak reportedly backed the Mercedes away, but the victim reported seeing a distinct temporary tag in the upper left corner of the rear window as it left.
The victim, who was not hit by any of the gunshots, called 911 to report the incident at 12:26 a.m., Murphy said, and officers located four .40-caliber casings in the area. None of the houses or cars in the area appeared to have been hit by gunfire, either.
At approximately 12:41 a.m., police located a silver Mercedes with a temporary tag in the rear window near the 3300 block of Airport Way, Murphy said, and performed what Murphy called a “high-risk traffic stop.” Three people, including Riak in the driver’s seat and Gunderson in the front passenger seat, were found inside the car and detained.
The third person was later released at the scene, though Murphy said they reported seeing shots being fired from Gunderson’s seat position.
Officers also reportedly saw ammunition boxes under Gunderson’s seat and a loose round on the floorboard. After receiving a warrant, police found a .40-caliber handgun that had been reported stolen on Dec. 24, 2017, Murphy said, along with two boxes of .40-caliber ammunition, one of which matched the casings found at the scene.
Gunderson is a previously convicted felon, Murphy said, making it illegal for him to have a gun.
This story was originally published December 11, 2019 at 5:00 AM.
