Man suspected in Ferndale murder allegedly has gang ties and was denied entry to party
Miguel-Angel Miranda, the man suspected of a Jan. 23 murder outside a large Ferndale gathering, is believed to have gang ties, and he and two other people he was with reportedly were denied entry to the party by the man Miranda is suspected of killing minutes before the shooting.
Miranda was in custody as of 7 p.m. Friday, Jan. 8, according to a Facebook post by the Ferndale Police Department, but the Whatcom County Jail log did not show that he was booked into jail.
The Bellingham Herald has asked the city of Ferndale for clarification and for information about how Miranda was located and arrested.
Police were called at 12:18 a.m. Jan. 23 to the American Legion building on Second Avenue in Ferndale for the report of a shooting at a large party, Whatcom County Superior Court documents state.
Officers arrived to find Jose Esquivel Hernandez outside the building with two gunshot wounds to his mid-torso, documents state. Hernandez was taken to St. Joseph hospital in Bellingham, where he later died.
Witnesses told police that there was an altercation before Hernandez was shot, documents state.
One witness told police that Hernandez denied Miranda and two other people he was with entry to the building and that the witness and Hernandez escorted Miranda and the two others toward the parking lot, according to court documents. It was then that Miranda and the two others he was with reportedly began arguing with Hernandez.
One of the two other people told Miranda to pull out the gun and shoot Hernandez, documents state, and Miranda pulled a black handgun from his waistband and shot Hernandez. Miranda and the two others then reportedly left the area.
Witnesses provided police with a photo of Miranda and identified him as the man who had shot Hernandez, according to documents.
Miranda is a known gang member, documents state, and before he was in custody, police feared that he might leave the area with family in Arizona and no permanent address in Whatcom County.
Court records show a warrant for arrest on suspicion of second-degree murder was issued on Monday, Jan. 24.
Court records also show Miranda has a previous felony conviction for first-degree criminal assistance from a 2016 drive-by shooting incident, in which court documents state he was the driver in a shooting that occurred on Haxton Way. He was sentenced to six months in Whatcom County Jail.
He also has previous juvenile convictions for malicious mischief, criminal trespassing, obstructing law enforcement and assault, court records show.
