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Bellingham fatal shooting suspect pleads not guilty

Bellingham fatal shooting suspect pleads not guilty

Photo: Saga Communications


BELLINGHAM, WA (MyBellinghamNow.com) – The suspect accused of fatally shooting a young man in Bellingham had his first court appearance.

Court document state 18-year-old Cristian Lara Guzman pled not guilty to manslaughter and unlawful firearm possession earlier Friday morning.

Lara Guzman and his friend, 18-year-old Alejandro Pallares, were playing with the laser light on a gun at a Bellingham apartment on May 18. A witness told investigators that they heard a gunshot while the two men were alone in a bedroom.

Pallares suffered a gunshot wound to the head and was hospitalized but died from his injuries this past Sunday.

Lara Guzman told a 911 dispatcher that he didn’t know the gun was loaded.

He remains at the Whatcom County Jail on $1 million bail.

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