Court records detail how police found men charged in October fatal shooting
An Oct. 18 double-shooting in Bellingham that left one man dead may have been gang related, according to court documents obtained by The Bellingham Herald.
Royelio Marquez, 19, and Alan Ramos, 20, were taken into custody Nov. 13 and charged with second-degree murder and attempted second-degree murder for the shooting of the two men without premeditation. The shooting left Daytin R. Duronso-Harp, 26, of Bellingham dead and a 25-year-old man injured.
Marquez and Ramos both pleaded not guilty to all charges following their arrests. They are being held at Whatcom County Jail on $2 million bail.
Gang affiliations
Police suspect Marquez and Ramos — as well as Duronso-Harp and the 25-year-old — are members of the Sureño gang. Marquez and Ramos were attempting to recruit for a subset of the gang called Colonial Baker, according to court documents, and a car driven by them was associated with a gang graffiti tagging in May.
In that incident, court records show that a tag for the South Side Tokers gang was crossed out and a tag for Colonial Baker was spraypainted. Duronso-Harp and the 25-year-old are associated with the South Side Tokers.
What happened the night of the shooting?
Court records show that Duronso-Harp and the 25-year-old were driving to meet up with Duronso-Harp’s friend shortly before midnight. While they were stopped at the light at the intersection of West Horton Road and Meridian Street, they heard two people — later identified as Marquez and Ramos — whistle at them from the crosswalk.
The 25-year-old described the whistling as “like a challenge,” court documents state. He turned onto West Horton Road, pulled over and rolled down the passenger side window to talk. He said he then heard gunfire and his back started hurting. He said he saw Duronso-Harp slumped over in the passenger seat, and said he “looked dead.”
Marquez and Ramos ran off, and the 25-year-old drove to his girlfriend’s house to get a ride to the hospital from another individual. He and Duronso-Harp were dropped off at St. Joseph Medical Center in Bellingham, where Duronso-Harp was later pronounced dead.
The car they drove to the hospital had multiple bullet holes on the passenger side, including one that appeared to have gone through the front passenger seat and out the front windshield. There was a “large amount” of blood inside, according to court documents.
Bellingham Police Department investigators determined that all the shots came from outside the car and were likely fired from a long gun or rifle. A Whatcom County Sheriff’s Office deputy driving through the area saw the actual shots being fired, but by the time they turned around to check the area, all people and cars had fled.
Caught on surveillance footage
Marquez and Ramos were caught on surveillance footage in a parking lot before the shooting, according to court records. Ramos was seen running from the scene with a large white bag that moved in a way “indicative of a large rifle-shaped object” inside.
Further investigation showed that Marquez purchased a shotgun from Miracle Pawn in August.
Marquez and Ramos reappeared near the parking lot after the shooting. They appeared to be attempting to conceal their presence, court documents state, and were seen getting into an Uber
After being dropped off, Marquez and Ramos were seen back in Bellingham on traffic cameras in different clothes riding back to the murder scene on mini-bikes. They then left, but returned to the parking lot the following morning to retrieve a bag from under a stairway.
Investigators were able to identify Marquez and Ramos on surveillance footage, and location data from their cell phones placed them on the scene before and after the shooting.
This story was originally published November 20, 2025 at 9:50 AM.