In the early morning hours of January 23, 2022, a gathering at the American Legion building in Ferndale, Washington, ended with the death of 28-year-old Hispanic male Jose Esquivel Hernandez. Hernandez had been attending a child’s birthday party when an argument began after he denied entry to Miguel Angel Miranda and two others. The dispute moved to the parking lot, where Miranda pulled out a handgun and shot Hernandez twice in the torso.

Bystanders found Hernandez on the sidewalk and paramedics took him to St. Joseph hospital in Bellingham, where he died. Witnesses reported a smaller white passenger car fleeing northbound on Interstate 5. Ferndale police identified 23-year-old Miguel Angel Miranda as the suspect, issued a homicide arrest warrant and said he fled the state. Miranda was located in Phoenix, Arizona, on January 28, 2022, arrested at a known gang house and later extradited back to Whatcom County.

Miranda initially pleaded not guilty to second-degree murder. Subsequent court filings show he pleaded guilty to second-degree murder, unlawful possession of a firearm and witness tampering and on November 23, 2022, was sentenced to 21 years and two months in prison. Two others, Marcelo Tate Rodriguez and Kimberly Trujillo Mendoza, were charged with rendering criminal assistance for helping Miranda escape. If anyone witnessed the argument or the car leaving the scene, please come forward with information.