In the early hours of April 15, 2024, the life of 30-year-old Zachariah Janusiewicz, a White male from Everson, Washington, was tragically cut short in a wooded area near an encampment in north Bellingham. The events of that morning unfolded after multiple 911 calls reported the sound of gunfire just after 3 a.m. Responding officers discovered a group of people attempting to help Janusiewicz, who was being pushed in a shopping cart and was suffering from obvious gunshot wounds to his upper
body. He was rushed to St. Joseph Medical Center, but he succumbed to his injuries. The Whatcom County Medical Examiner later confirmed his death was a homicide resulting from a perforating gunshot wound to the torso.
The investigation into the shooting led Bellingham police to identify two suspects: Coleen L. Clark, then 35, and her partner, Gale R. Jefferson, then 33. In the hours leading up to the fatal incident, Clark and Jefferson had been moving through the encampment, accusing people of stealing money from them. Their erratic behavior included tying up one man with a zip tie. When Janusiewicz arrived at the encampment, allegedly to sell a quantity of fentanyl he had acquired, Clark and Jefferson turned their accusations toward him upon seeing he had drugs and money.
An altercation ensued, and as Janusiewicz attempted to flee, Clark pursued him with a gun. During the chase, she tripped and the weapon discharged a single round, striking Janusiewicz in the torso. Realizing he was shot, Clark and others placed him in a shopping cart to seek medical help. Clark and Jefferson were arrested in early May following a police investigation that identified them through mobile phone records and witness accounts.
Following their arrests, both suspects faced the justice system. Coleen Leigh Clark, the shooter, pleaded guilty to amended charges of second-degree manslaughter, unlawful imprisonment, and second-degree assault as part of a plea agreement. In June, she was sentenced to 10 years in prison. Gale Raynard Jefferson later pleaded guilty to rendering criminal assistance and unlawful imprisonment for his role in the events. He was sentenced to just under a year and a half in prison.
