Ferndale man pleads not guilty to January shooting death; police still seeking witnesses
A Ferndale man accused of shooting and killing another man outside a large gathering in Ferndale in late January pleaded not guilty in court Friday.
Miguel Angel Miranda, 23, pleaded not guilty Feb. 18 to second-degree murder in Whatcom County Superior Court for the death of Jose Esquivel Hernandez.
Miranda was arrested Jan. 28 in Phoenix, Arizona, after the car he was believed to be driving the night of the killing was spotted in Kingman, Arizona. Miranda was booked into the Whatcom County Jail on Feb. 9, where he remains incarcerated in lieu of $5 million bail, according to court records.
Miranda’s jury trial has tentatively been scheduled for April 11.
The Ferndale Police Department is still searching for two other “witnesses” to Hernandez’s shooting death. The two men were identified as Jimmy Abitia and Michael Archouletta, and as of Thursday have not yet been located, according to Riley Sweeney, a city of Ferndale spokesperson.
Anybody with information about Abitia or Archouletta is asked to contact Ferndale police at 360-384-3390 or contact@ferndalepd.org.
The shooting
Ferndale police were called at 12:18 a.m. on Jan. 23 to the American Legion building on Second Avenue in Ferndale for the report of a shooting at a large party, according to court records.
Officers found Hernandez outside the building with two gunshot wounds to his mid-torso. Hernandez was taken to St. Joseph’s hospital in Bellingham, where he later died, court records state.
Witnesses told police there was an altercation before Hernandez was shot, the records show.
Hernandez denied Miranda and two other people he was with entry to the building, a witness told police. The witness and Hernandez then escorted Miranda and the two people toward the parking lot, where an argument between them began, according to court records.
One of the two people Miranda was with allegedly told Miranda to pull out a gun and shoot Hernandez. Miranda pulled a black handgun from his waistband and shot Hernandez, according to court records. Miranda and the two others fled in a vehicle, the records state.
Witnesses provided a photo of Miranda, who is a known gang member, and identified him as the man who shot Hernandez, according to court documents.
Miranda has a previous felony conviction for first-degree criminal assistance from a 2016 drive-by shooting incident, in which he was the driver in a shooting that occurred on Haxton Way. He was sentenced to six months in jail, according to court records.
Miranda also has previous juvenile convictions for malicious mischief, criminal trespassing, obstructing law enforcement and assault, court records show.
This story was originally published February 18, 2022 at 11:43 AM.
