A 40-year-old Bellingham man who shot himself at the end of a foot chase on March 2 has died, according to Bellingham police.
Officers caught up to the man, who police identified as Collin Brandt, near the northbound on-ramp to Interstate 5 at Old Fairhaven Parkway. He shot himself after an officer fired a less-lethal baton at Brandt’s lower body, Bellingham Police Lt. Claudia Murphy said in an email.
Brandt was transported to PeaceHealth St. Joseph Medical Center. He remained hospitalized in critical condition as of March 4, Murphy had said.
Around 6:30 p.m. on March 2, Whatcom County sheriff’s deputies came across a vehicle they were searching for at Lake Whatcom Park, on the lake’s eastern shore. The man, who police say was wanted for felonies including robbery and firearm theft, immediately fled in his vehicle around the lake and into Bellingham via Lakeway Drive. Sheriff’s deputies attempted to stop the driver, and Bellingham police assisted deputies after he entered the city limits, Murphy said.
The driver crashed into a retaining wall on a dead-end street and ran toward the I-5 on-ramp at Exit 250, according to police.
Officers stationed at the I-5 on-ramp saw the man and ordered him to surrender. After the man “did not comply and began to move,” an officer used a less lethal launcher, “to deploy a drag-stabilized flexible baton at the driver’s thigh/glute area,” Murphy said.
Immediately after launching the baton, officers heard a gunshot and the man fell to the ground, according to Murphy’s report.
“Officers moved in on the driver, noted he was suffering from a self-inflicted gunshot wound and immediately began lifesaving measures,” Murphy said. “Bellingham fire was called to the scene, and medics transported the driver to the hospital for further emergent medical treatment.”
The National Suicide Prevention Hotline phone number is 1-800-273-8255. The Lifeline provides 24/7, free and confidential support for people in distress, prevention and crisis resources for you or your loved ones, and best practices for professionals in the United States.
