Family fled bullets at BBQ

Ferndale, Wash. — Children and adults living along a rural road in Ferndale ran for cover after hearing about 20 shots fired in their direction.

"It's not fair. It's just not fair," said Debbie Engler. She told her grandchildren to get in the house after hearing a bullet whiz past her. "There was a whistle and a shot and I knew that it was gunfire," said Engler.

Two houses away, 23-year-old Alyssa Smith was with her family. A bullet hit her in the chest. Her father performed CPR but she later died at the hospital.

Officers found a group of people shooting off rifles and handguns a half a mile away. Two men in the group were arrested who are convicted but possessed firearms. A KIRO-7 reporter asked if anyone will be charged with murder. "That's hard to say this early in the investigation. At the very least we believe this pattern of facts show it was at least reckless endangerment," said Whatcom County undersheriff Jeff Parks.

Engler thinks the group was aiming for trees behind the homes, not pausing between shots to think about the people on the other side of those trees. "It's just wrong and they deserve to be put away for life," said Engler.

KIRO