Suspect in January shooting at Ferndale park arrested by authorities in Sunnyside
Authorities have made an arrest related to a shooting at a local park four months ago that left one person injured.
Javier Flores Jr., 20, was contacted by law enforcement in Sunnyside, Wash., on April 26 and was taken into custody. He is currently detained at the Whatcom County Jail.
According to police, the shooting victim and two other people went to Cedar Creek Park in Ferndale to buy marijuana from Javier Flores Jr. on Jan. 17. When the group arrived at the park in their vehicle, Flores reportedly aimed a pistol at the person in the passenger-side seat and demanded all their money. He was given $100, according to city of Ferndale Communications Officer Megan Juenemann.
When the vehicle began to drive away, Flores took a single shot with his weapon, hitting the person sitting behind the passenger seat in the shoulder, Juenemann said.
The victim was taken to St. Joseph Medical Center, where staff removed a .45 caliber bullet. Police found a matching .45 caliber shell casing at Cedar Park Creek, according to Juenemann.
Ferndale Police obtained a search warrant for Flores’ Instagram account records. Voice memos taken from the Instagram records have Flores talking about how he pointed a gun in someone’s face, took their money and then shot at them as they drove away, according to court records.
The records also included a photo of the weapon and an image of Cedar Creek Park.
Flores was formally charged April 19 with one count each of first-degree robbery, first-degree assault, second-degree assault and unlawful display of a weapon.
This story was originally published May 1, 2024 at 2:45 PM.
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