Jessie Stensland reports from Island County for the Whidbey News-Times. Read the whole story.
A man firing shots on property near a large, April 19 protest at Bayview on South Whidbey alarmed many participants, including families with children and an 81-year-old woman who dove for cover while she was video recording the rally.
Outrage over the incident grew afterward, especially after Susan Jensen posted her video online and a TV news station ran a story on the incident. Jensen and others feel that the man shot the gun in an attempt to intimidate the anti-Trump protesters.
“It was terrifying,” Jensen said. “While it’s hard to prove intent, the intent was obvious — to scare the protestors — who don’t scare easily since the protest continued. The Trump sign in the window is indicative of that, and after the shots were fired, he came outside and stared at us.”
They Said It
Sheriff Rick Felici said that the man’s actions showed “poor judgment” but do not appear to be illegal, based on initial information he received from a detective. Under state law and county code, target practice is allowed in most unincorporated areas of the county during the daytime if the property has a safe backstop to stop bullets.
In this case, the property has a dirt berm set up for shooting, the sheriff said. The man who fired the shots also claimed he didn’t do it to threaten or alarm anyone.
Felici said misunderstandings about state laws can cause confusion. People often point to WAC 332-52-145, for example, for gun laws, but the administrative code is part of a section about the Department of Natural Resources and only applies to state-owned lands.
Island County Prosecutor Greg Banks said a decision hasn’t been made about the case.
“Based on the oral summary we received, we didn’t believe we could prove that a crime had been committed,” he said in an email. “But, we haven’t seen a law enforcement investigation report yet. I understand there were videos of the protest and that witnesses and the shooter were interviewed.
“I would never make a decision on a case without reviewing the reports first. We expect to receive something from the police soon.”
Nonetheless, many people, including Island County Commissioner Melanie Bacon, have called on the sheriff and prosecutor to take legal action against the man.
“Shooting a gun in the vicinity of a crowd is a terroristic act,” Bacon said. “I think he should be arrested.”
In addition, Bacon has vowed to take a look at county laws regarding firing weapons to see if more restrictions are needed. She pointed out that the county is more crowded than it was 20 years ago and that target practice on private land may not be as safe as it once was because of the proximity of so many neighbors.
“I think this whole thing needs to be looked at,” she said, adding that she realizes it will be a very controversial subject.
Ed. Note: Island County Prosecuting Attorney Greg Banks indicated “No Party Preference” when he last ran for re-election in 2022. In previous elections, he stated that he preferred the Democratic Party.
