One person injured in north Bellingham drive-by shooting; suspects in custody
.jpg "A party of teens didn’t know the person who opened fire inside a Benton City party early Saturday. One person died and five more were hurt.")
A 25-year-old man was injured in a drive-by shooting Thursday afternoon on Bellingham’s north side, and two people were being held in connection with the attack, police said.
Further information wasn’t immediately available about the victim, who was being treated for his injuries at St. Joseph Medical Center, Police Department spokeswoman Megan Peters told The Bellingham Herald in an email.
Peters said the man was shot as he was getting into a green Hyundai Santa Fe the parking lot of WalMart in the 4400 block of Meridian Street.
A white Jeep pulled alongside and the driver fired several shots from a 9mm pistol, she said.
“The man, who was injured by the gunfire, drove to a nearby establishment, where he received life-saving assistance from a social worker that was there. Another individual then took the victim to the hospital in a privately owned vehicle,” Peters said.
A Whatcom County Sheriff’s Office deputy on patrol saw a car matching the description of the shooter’s car and detained the driver and his passenger on Axton Road north of the city limits, Peters said.
“Before the vehicle pulled over, a handgun was thrown out the passenger-side window by the female passenger. Deputies located the weapon and secured it until crime scene investigators responded,” Peters said.
Both the driver and passenger were arrested on charges that stem from the shooting, she said.
▪ Jordan Kay Velthuizen, 25, was booked at 7:02 p.m. on suspicion of attempted first-degree murder and drive-by shooting, according to the jail website.
▪ Jesus Geovanny Monreal Bojorquez, 26, was booked at 11:08 p.m. on suspicion of attempted first-degree murder, drive-by shooting and a weapons offense, according to the jail website.
Both were being held without bail Friday morning, according to the jail website.
This story was originally published December 29, 2023 at 7:00 AM.
