UPDATE: Whatcom man suspected of 2 counts of attempted murder after deputies shot in heads
A Maple Falls man was arrested Thursday night after he reportedly shot two Whatcom County Sheriff’s Office deputies in the head with birdshot as they tried to break up a dispute between the man and his neighbors.
Skagit County jail records show Joel Berck Young, 60, was booked into the Skagit County Community Justice Center at 11:50 p.m. Thursday, Feb. 10, on a hold for the Bellingham Police Department.
A news release from Bellingham Police Friday, Feb. 11, states Young was arrested on suspicion of two counts of attempted first-degree murder.
Young is scheduled to make his first appearance in Whatcom County Superior Court at 3 p.m. Friday, court records show.
As of Friday morning, one of the injured deputies was under observation at St. Joseph’s hospital in Bellingham and described as “alert and stable” in a Facebook post by the Whatcom County Sheriff’s Office. The second was moved to Harborview Medical Center in Seattle, where he is under the care of a specialist but also “stable.”
The injured deputies’ names are not being released at this time “out of respect for the families,” Bellingham Police Department spokesperson Claudia Murphy told The Bellingham Herald in an email.
“Thank God both of our Deputies are stable and the suspect who shot them is now in custody,” Sheriff Bill Elfo wrote in a Facebook post on his personal account. “This case illustrates the dangers our law enforcement officers face every day in our increasingly violent community.
“Thank you to all the law enforcement agencies who responded to assist and for the kindness and competence of the medics and hospital personnel. Everyone’s concerns and prayers are appreciated.”
Shooting timeline
According to Friday’s release, deputies were sent at 4:17 p.m. Thursday, Feb. 10, to the 3000 block of Green Valley Drive in Peaceful Valley for a report of shots fired, after a caller told 911 that a neighbor was outside shooting his 12-gauge shotgun in the air. Additional callers gave the specific address and reported two people were shooting at each other from two houses.
Deputies arrived at approximately 4:40 p.m., according to Friday’s release, and said that a man, later identified as Young, was yelling at them and waving the shotgun around. Deputies established probable cause to arrest Young for felony harassment and reported noting that Young appeared to be intoxicated due to his speech and actions.
According to the release, the investigation revealed that:
▪ Young was at home having drinks at approximately 3 p.m., when a neighbor started to burn a garbage pile, causing smoke to fill Young’s house, which apparently enraged him.
▪ Young went outside to yell at the neighbor, who reportedly replied with an expletive, which further enraged him.
▪ Young went back in the house, retrieved a shotgun loaded with birdshot and fired a round in the air near the neighbor.
▪ Young went back into his house and had a beer.
▪ Shortly afterward, Young heard deputies yell “Sheriff,” looked outside and saw someone crouching by the neighbor’s garage and went outside.
▪ Two deputies by the neighbor’s garage yelled to young “Sheriff’s Office — drop the gun!”
▪ Young yelled at the deputies and then fired on them.
▪ The first deputy was hit in the head and dropped to the ground.
▪ The second deputy stepped forward and returned fire in an effort to protect the deputy who had already been shot.
▪ Young returned fire and struck the second deputy, who retreated to cover.
▪ An “unknown civilian” stepped forward and fired multiple rounds from a handgun at Young to protect the deputies.
▪ Both deputies were pulled into a garage where first aid was administered and they waited for additional deputies to arrive.
More deputies and members of the sheriff’s office SWAT team arrived and surrounded the home at approximately 6:06 p.m., according to the release.
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Young surrendered
Once the home was surrounded and law enforcement contacted him, Young surrendered and was taken into custody without incident, Murphy told The Herald in a follow-up email.
Young was taken to the Bellingham Police Department’s station, and the department’s SWAT team responded and took over the scene in Peaceful Valley, awaiting a search warrant for the house so the Bellingham Police Department Crime Scene Investigators could enter, according to the release.
The investigation of the incident is being handled by members of the Law Enforcement Mutual Aid Response Team (LEMART) in coordination with the Whatcom County Prosecutor’s Office, the release states. The team is a multi-jurisdictional investigation team that investigates officer-involved shootings and other complicated investigations in Whatcom County.
“We are ever so grateful the WCSO deputies are in stable condition and that no residents were injured,” Bellingham Police Chief Flo Simon said in Friday’s new release. “The members of the LEMART team are working tirelessly to ensure there is a thorough and complete investigation delivered to the prosecutor’s office.
“Our thoughts and prayers go out to the WCSO deputies, their families, and the entire Whatcom County Sheriff’s Office. We wish them a speedy recovery.”
Other than injuries to the two deputies, no others were reported in the incident, Murphy told The Herald, including the neighbor Young reportedly fired birdshot at. That neighbor was not arrested.
Investigation continues
The number of shots that were fired both by Young and law enforcement is still under investigation, according to Murphy.
On Friday morning, several Bellingham Police Department officers and Whatcom County Sheriff’s Office deputies remained on scene in Peaceful Valley, but no residents were seen outside in the area. A Bellingham Police tactical command vehicle was parked in the area, and yellow crime scene tape hung at the corner of Green Valley Drive and King Valley Drive.
Police had marked off evidence outside Young’s house and the neighbor’s house, where the two deputies were shot. Yellow evidence markers were on the ground outside the neighbor’s garage, while bullet holes could be seen in the glass of Young’s front window.
This story was originally published February 11, 2022 at 8:06 AM.
