Bellingham Police arrest man suspected of firing 8 gunshots near Boulevard Park Tuesday
Bellingham Police have arrested a man suspected of firing eight shots from a .22 caliber rifle Tuesday afternoon near Boulevard Park. He was found with 117 rounds of ammunition.
Police first received reports of shots fired from a beach north of Boulevard Park at 4:04 p.m. Tuesday, Feb. 8, Lt. Claudia Murphy told The Bellingham Herald in an email.
According to a tweet at the time by Bellingham Police, the eight shots were fired over the water and the shooter was believed to have headed south along the South Bay Trail.
One witness told 911 dispatchers that he or she witnessed the shots and believed the shooter to be a danger to the public, Murphy reported.
Officers arrived and located the suspect, later identified as Ryan N. Marita-Davis, 25, according to Murphy, but he refused commands to drop the rifle he was still carrying and attempted to run away.
Police, including the department’s armored safety vehicle, set up a perimeter to capture Marita-Davis and attempt to stop him from firing the rifle again, according to Murphy.
While police were attempting to catch him, Marita-Davis dropped a backpack, Murphy reported. Officers were able to make contact with him again, but Marita-Davis reportedly still was not cooperative.
Police fired bean bags near Marita-Davis as an effort to deescalate the situation, which Murphy reported it did, and police were able to arrest him.
Officers found the .22 caliber rifle, along with 117 ammunition rounds, according to Murphy, and Marita-Davis was booked into Whatcom County Jail on suspicion of discharging a weapon within city limits and obstructing an officer. Jail records show he is being held in lieu of $1,500 bail.
Murphy said the armored vehicle was brought to the scene because it provides a safety precaution and gives police the ability to quickly and safely rescue anyone if they are injured. It also provides a safety platform when police engage suspects, according to Murphy.
