A 22-year-old man was arrested on suspicion of shooting and killing a man at a Halloween party on East Myrtle Street early Saturday morning, Bellingham Police said.
Officers responded to reports of gunfire and someone being shot at 11:59 p.m. Friday on the 500 Block of East Myrtle Street, according to a statement from BPD.
Detectives think an altercation between 22-year-old Brian Pantoja and a 21-year-old man ensued, leading to Pantoja shooting the man before fleeing the scene.
Police arrived and found the 21-year-old victim inside a doorway with a gunshot wound to the torso. Despite CPR and life-saving attempts by witnesses, and later police and Bellingham Fire Department medics, the victim died at the scene.
Officers began searching for Pantoja, who was believed to have fled in a white Dodge Charger that had been involved in a hit-and-run collision earlier Friday night.
Bellingham Police and Whatcom County Sheriff’s Office deputies eventually located the vehicle in a parking lot in the 1900 block of Alabama Street.
K-9s identified an apartment that BPD officers watched until Pantoja came out. He was taken into custody and booked into the Whatcom County Jail on suspicion of first-degree murder and unlawful possession of a firearm.
Pantoja is a convicted felon for a previous second-degree robbery charge and is not permitted to have a firearm.
Anyone with additional information can contact BPD at the email tip line at cob.org/tips or by phone at 360-778-8611.
