Man charged in Ferndale woman’s stray-bullet shooting death

A Whatcom County man has been charged with manslaughter for the stray bullet shooting of a 23-year-old woman in Ferndale last Father’s Day.

Alyssa Smith was at a barbeque with her father and other family members at a house last June 16 when they heard bursts of gunfire coming from some woods across the nearby river.

The family called 911 to report the gunfire and moments later Smith was struck in the chest with a bullet. Medics transported her to a nearby hospital where she was pronounced dead several hours later.

It was determined she had been killed by a round from an “AK 47” type of rifle, said Eric Richey, Whatcom County Chief Criminal Deputy Prosecuting Attorney.

Sheriff’s deputies traced the gunfire to a location nearby, where they found a group of people who admitted they had been shooting guns. Several had fired the assault rifle ultimately linked to the killing.

All of the weapons belonged to Nicholas Zylstra, but investigators had to determine who shot the round that killed Smith.

“We had to look at it very closely to determine who had committed this crime. Identifying who actually fired the weapon at the time the victim was killed was the key in this case.”

Witnesses told investigators Zylstra had fired the gun “irresponsibly” from his hip in what’s known as a “bump fire,” which makes the weapon shoot in bursts much like an automatic weapon.

“That makes the rifle difficult to control, causing bullets to go where they are not intended,” Richey said.

Based on witness statements and the evidence, it was ultimately determined Zylstra fired the lethal shot and he was charged Wednesday with First Degree Manslaughter.

Zylstra was scheduled to make his first appearance Thursday afternoon in Whatcom County Superior Court.