Bellingham man allegedly fires gun at a tree, but Sunset Drive was only 100 yards away
A Bellingham man, who was believed to have been intoxicated, is suspected of firing a shotgun from the back of his house within city limits and in the general direction of East Sunset Drive.
The Bellingham Police Department booked James Kenneth Corey, 48, into Whatcom County Jail Tuesday, Jan. 18, on suspicion of discharging a firearm within city limits, reckless endangerment and unlawful possession of a firearm. Jail records show he was released Wednesday on $1,000 bail.
Officers were called at approximately 6:50 p.m. Tuesday to the 3500 block of Skylark Loop after several 911 callers reported hearing gunshots, Lt. Claudia Murphy told The Bellingham Herald Thursday, Jan. 20.
One neighbor reported seeing a gun barrel sticking out of a door, pointing toward a wooded area and being fired, Murphy reported, while another neighbor said they heard approximately eight shots fired and also saw the barrel of the gun. That witness reportedly spoke to Corey, who told them he was firing a 12-gauge shotgun and that he knew he was firing it within Bellingham city limits.
When officers arrived, they spoke to Corey at his home and noted that he appeared intoxicated, according to Murphy. Corey reportedly told officers he had a 12-gauge shotgun and that he was shooting it toward a tree in his backyard.
“Of note is that Corey’s shooting trajectory was in the direction of E. Sunset Drive, a heavily traveled roadway, even at this time of night,” Murphy wrote.
Whatcom County Superior Court documents noted that there was a wooded area between where Corey was shooting and Sunset Drive, but Google Maps show the roadway was approximately a football field away from the back of his house.
Corey allowed officers to retrieve the gun from inside his house, and Murphy reported that he believed he was allowed to own it.
But according to court documents, police found that Corey had previously been convicted of a felony in Michigan, making it illegal for him to possess a gun.
