Unidentified caller warned he would shoot 2 protesters
THREAT: Marchers undeterred by three phone messages.
Dean Kahn, The Bellingham Herald
It likely will take an informant if the man who called in threats to kill protesters at Western Washington University Friday is to be arrested, police said.
The man first called the business line of the 911 dispatch office at 7:03 a.m. Friday. A dispatcher asked the man if he wanted to leave a message; he replied that he planned to shoot one male and one female protester. The call couldn't be traced.
He next left a message, also untraceable, at the newsroom of The Bellingham Herald, saying he planned to make national headlines by shooting two protesters at close range.
Then, at 10:20 a.m., he called in a similar threat to the registrar's office at Western. Campus officials said the call came from a pay phone.
KGMI radio station broadcast a recording of the man's 911 call on its morning newscasts. If caught, the man could be charged with making felony threats.
"Our main hope is that someone would listen and recognize the voice," said police Lt. Craige Ambrose. "We're going to need someone to give us a tip."
Bellingham police issued a public notice Friday morning alerting students and the general public about the threats.
WWU officials learned of the threats by 9:45 a.m. and held an emergency meeting. In response, they sent a campuswide e-mail alert about 11:40 a.m., speakers at the noon rally on Red Square alerted students and staff of the threats and fliers about the threats were distributed. Three campus police officers accompanied the marchers - one by car, two on bikes.
City police already had planned to have several police officers on duty, in case the parade was large and in case protesters attempted civil disobedience, such as when protesters blocked part of Interstate 5 on March 20.
Several Washington State Patrol troopers stood by in case the marchers again tried to occupy the freeway, and a law enforcement helicopter buzzed over Bellingham during the march and rally.
In the end, events went smoothly.
"Other than the phone calls we got, this was probably one of the most peaceful, best-run events that have occurred so far," Ambrose said.
news.bellinghamherald.com
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