Bellingham man faces murder charge for shooting death in homeless encampment
The Bellingham man accused of shooting and killing a 27-year-old man in a homeless tent encampment behind Walmart in early September pleaded not guilty Sept. 17 to a murder charge.
Travis William Hamilton, 38, was charged Sept. 10 in Whatcom County Superior Court with second-degree murder for the shooting death of Scott Dobson.
Dobson’s death was ruled a homicide by the Whatcom County Medical Examiner’s Office, which determined the gunshot Dobson sustained could not have been self-inflicted.
Hamilton’s trial has tentatively been set for Nov. 8, according to court records.
Hamilton remains incarcerated in the Whatcom County Jail in lieu of $1 million bail.
Shortly before 2:30 p.m. on Sept. 3, Bellingham police were sent to the 4200 block of Meridian Street for the report of a person with a gunshot wound to the chest located in a tent at one of the encampments behind Walmart, according to previous reporting in The Bellingham Herald.
Law enforcement and fire personnel went into the woods behind Walmart and found Dobson, who was determined to be dead.
A witness told police they heard the gunshot, went to Hamilton’s camp and saw Hamilton standing 10 feet to 12 feet outside the opening of the tent where Dobson was found, The Herald previously reported. The witness told police they saw a rifle leaning against a post by Hamilton and Dobson was on the ground crawling toward the tent.
The witness told police they didn’t see anyone coming or going from the area where Hamilton’s tent was located.
Hamilton told police he was sleeping in a folding chair at his camp and the sound of the gunshot woke him, according to court records. Hamilton told police he saw Dobson on the ground crawling toward Hamilton’s tent, but did not know who shot him.
During the execution of a search warrant on Hamilton’s tent, Bellingham police found a .22-caliber rifle, which contained the same ammunition that was found in Dobson’s body during an autopsy. The rifle was found in a bicycle trailer, which was a different location from where the witness had reported seeing it, court records show.
Bellingham police also found spent .22 casings and a 7mm gun among Hamilton’s belongings, the court records state.
Hamilton is also facing charges in a separate felony case from 2020 in which he allegedly stole a black wagon used to haul trash from a convenience store’s private dumpster area, court records show.
The wagon was valued at $300, and Hamilton was charged with second-degree burglary.
After failing to appear for several court hearings, a bench warrant was issued for Hamilton on July 24, 2020.
Proceedings in the case started again when Hamilton was arrested for the alleged murder of Dobson.
Hamilton pleaded not guilty to the burglary charge Sept. 17 and his trial is tentatively scheduled for Nov. 8, court records show.
