Whatcom County murder suspect arrested in Arizona, as police seek 2 other ‘witnesses’
The man suspected of murdering another outside a Jan. 23 large party in Ferndale was arrested Friday in Phoenix and will have to have previous court cases in Arizona resolved before he is transported to Whatcom County.
Details about the Jan. 28 arrest of Miguel-Angel Miranda, 23, were released by the city of Ferndale Tuesday morning, Feb. 1. Miranda is suspected of second-degree murder.
The white 2010 Acura that Miranda was believed to be driving was spotted by a license plate reader in Kingman, Ariz., according to the release, which alerted the Ferndale Police Department.
Ferndale detectives then worked with the Whatcom County Sheriff’s Office to identify possible addresses of people known to Miranda in Arizona, according to the release. As previously reported by The Bellingham Herald, Miranda has family in Arizona.
Using that information, the Phoenix Police Department located Miranda and arrested him on Friday, according to the release, and the vehicle was later found in Ogden, Utah.
Miranda was arrested without incident, Phoenix Police Department Sergeant Philip Krynsky told The Herald in an email.
Miranda was in custody as of 7 p.m. Friday, Jan. 8, according to a Facebook post by the Ferndale Police Department.
“Currently, the Ferndale Police Department is seeking information about two witnesses to the initial shooting on January 23rd,” Tuesday’s release states.
The two men have been identified as Jimmy Abitia and Michael Archouletta, according to the release, which asked anybody with information on those men to contact the Ferndale Police Department at 360-384-3390 or contact@ferndalepd.org.
According to Maricopa County (Ariz.) Jail records, Miranda is being held on a warrant for a municipal violation in Gilbert, Ariz. Gilbert Municipal Court records show a warrant was issued March 1, 2021, for Miranda after he was found guilty Dec. 10, 2020, for driving with a suspected, revoked or canceled license.
Shooting death in Ferndale
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.
City of Ferndale spokesperson Riley Sweeney said he could not confirm whether Abitia and Archouletta were the two people with Miranda at the time of the shooting, saying only “They are believed to be witnesses to the shooting.”
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.
This story was originally published February 1, 2022 at 9:28 AM.
