Two Bellingham men were involved in a drive-by shooting Monday night on the 3100 block of Studio Lane near the Sunset Drive post office.
Bullets hit a nearby apartment complex, where a bullet hole was discovered close to a victim’s head. The other victim ran out of the apartment where a bullet nearly hit his hand. At least four shell casings were discovered outside of the apartment and three bullet holes were discovered inside one of the victim’s apartments.
The suspects were identified as Carlos A. Machado, 22, and Dylan R. Morris, 22. Machado was driving the vehicle, but it was registered to Morris, according to a Bellingham Police report.
Machado was charged with first-degree assault, drive-by shooting, reckless endangerment, second-degree malicious mischief and obstructing a law enforcement officer.
Officers were dispatched at 10:54 p.m. and arrived at a chaotic scene where multiple witnesses described the gunshots coming from a white Ford Ranger before it sped off east on Sunset Drive.
The two victims said they recognized the truck from earlier when it had followed them home after an altercation on Sunset Drive. Machado and Morris yelled threats to the victims about coming back with a gun, the report stated.
An officer found the Ford Ranger in the 2300 block of Mount Baker Highway and attempted to stop the truck. Machado turned off the truck’s lights to escape and turned quickly down East 23rd Avenue where they both fled on foot. Whatcom County Sheriff’s Office K-9 team arrived and tracked Machado and Morris.
After being taken into custody, the men admitted to being in the truck but denied being involved in the shooting.
