Young woman killed at Ferndale BBQ by stray bullet
Jun 17, 2013, 4:05 PM | Updated: 4:23 pm
A 23-year old woman has died after getting hit in the chest by a stray bullet fired by shooters more than a half-mile away.
A resident called 911 Sunday afternoon to report bullets were whizzing overhead as they barbequed at a Ferndale home. He soon called back saying his daughter had been hit in the chest, according to Whatcom County undersheriff Jeff Parks.
“The bullets were striking trees in the area around the house and they were trying to figure out where the shots were coming from,” Parks said.
The woman was taken to St. Joseph hospital in Bellingham with critical injuries, where she ultimately died.
Deputies heard the gunfire and traced the shots to a group of five people taking target practice on the other side of the Nooksack River. They had been shooting handguns and high-powered rifles.
Two Ferndale men were arrested for unlawful possession of firearms. Douglas Quiding, 40, and Robert Lee, 23, are both convicted felons, Parks said.
Whatcom County Sheriff’s Deputies, Detectives and Crime Scene Investigation personnel are working to determine all the information about the shooting.
