Bellingham Police arrest man on suspicion of second-degree murder in Roosevelt shooting
Bellingham Police arrested a 28-year-old man on suspicion of second-degree murder, drive-by shooting and a drug charge after an Oct. 16 shooting in the Roosevelt neighborhood, according to Bellingham Police Lt. Claudia Murphy Saturday, Oct. 22.
After receiving treatment for injuries sustained in the shooting, Matthew J. Roberts, 28 of Eugene, Oregon, is being held without bail at Whatcom County jail on charges that include possession of a controlled substance with intent to deliver.
Roberts called 911 from the 2300 block of Valencia Street on Oct. 16 to report he had been shot and needed help, according to police. As officers were helping him, a man with gunshot wounds had been dropped off at the St. Joseph hospital Emergency Department.
That man, Isaiah J. Mayshack, 31 of Bellingham, died at the hospital Oct. 16.
Officers found two bags of white powder and a bag of about 1,000 blue pills next to where Roberts had been, according to Murphy Saturday. Officers also found a loaded handgun magazine several feet away in an alley. They also found a .40 caliber handgun, missing a magazine, outside of a building in the 2000 block of Texas Street. “A blood trail was found and led to a specific apartment in the complex. Nearby officers found a counterfeit $100 bill which had been torn into several pieces,” Murphy said.
She said the investigation found:
Mayshack sought a phone at an apartment in the 2000 block of Texas Street and walked out when he could not get it. Shortly after that, people in the apartment heard gunshots and Mayshack returned, shot and in need of help. He was driven to the hospital, where he later died.
Police found that a man wearing clothing found to match Roberts’ got out of an Oregon-plated Prius in the 2400 block of Alabama Street and into a black Range Rover seen driving toward the Texas/Valencia streets area before the shooting.
A .38 caliber revolver police believe was used to shoot Mayshack was found underneath Roberts with one spent shell casing.
A .40 caliber Smith and Wesson handgun police believe was used to shoot Roberts, found on the path Mayshack used to run to the apartment to get help, was missing one bullet from the magazine.
The bags with the white powder weighed approximately 47.7 and 48.8 grams each and both field tested positive for the presence of cocaine. The 1,000 blue pills are consistent with those commonly sold on the street as “blues” and are non-pharmaceutical-grade pills laced with fentanyl. A sample of these pills field tested positive for the presence of fentanyl.
“The quantity of drugs found with Roberts is well over what could be considered personal use by an individual user. The amounts, and how they were packaged, are indicators of sale in bulk to someone else who will resell in smaller amounts,” Murphy said.
A second-degree murder charge requires intent, but without premeditation.
This story was originally published October 23, 2022 at 9:37 AM.
