Man reportedly pointed gun at 2 people, fired shot during argument on Bellingham beach
Bellingham Police arrested a man suspected of pulling a gun and pointing it at two people last week on Cornwall Beach, threatening both of them and firing the gun with several other people in the area.
Clifford Jon Hamilton, 36, was booked into Whatcom County Jail Thursday, May 7, on suspicion of charges including felony harassment and reckless endangerment, and jail records show he is being held in lieu of $100,000 bail.
Officers were called at 7:53 p.m. Thursday to the 600 block of Cornwall Avenue near Cornwall Beach for the report of a domestic dispute and shooting incident, according to Whatcom County Superior Court documents filed Monday afternoon, May 10.
A witness had called 911 to report a man, later identified as Hamilton, and a female victim were arguing near a silver SUV at the beach area, that the man had threatened the woman and later removed a handgun and fired a single round in an unknown direction, court document state.
Hamilton then got in the SUV and left the scene, according to documents, but arriving officers spotted the vehicle speeding in reverse and stopped it. Hamilton, who documents state appeared to be intoxicated, was taken into custody without incident.
Officers spoke to the female victim, who said she had been arguing with Hamilton, and that he had thrown all of her belongings on the ground near the SUV, according to documents. While they were arguing, Hamilton also removed a handgun and pointed it directly at the female victim and said he was going to kill her and her body would be found in the river, documents state.
Hamilton also pointed the gun at a nearby male victim and said he almost shot him or was thinking of doing so, documents state.
The argument between the man and female victim continued down to the beach, where several other people were, and Hamilton again pulled the gun out and fired a single shot, documents state.
Witnesses reportedly told police they believed the shot was in the direction of the water and that several other people in the area at the time ran after hearing the gunshot.
The female victim told police she believed Hamilton’s gun was in his car under his seat, court documents state, and police impounded the SUV and are applying for a search warrant.
