BELLINGHAM, WA (MyBellinghamNow.com) – The suspect accused of fatally shooting a young man in Bellingham had his first court appearance.
Court document state 18-year-old Cristian Lara Guzman pled not guilty to manslaughter and unlawful firearm possession earlier Friday morning.
Lara Guzman and his friend, 18-year-old Alejandro Pallares, were playing with the laser light on a gun at a Bellingham apartment on May 18. A witness told investigators that they heard a gunshot while the two men were alone in a bedroom.
Pallares suffered a gunshot wound to the head and was hospitalized but died from his injuries this past Sunday.
Lara Guzman told a 911 dispatcher that he didn’t know the gun was loaded.
He remains at the Whatcom County Jail on $1 million bail.