Bellingham Man Killed in Accidental Shooting

Bellingham, WA:  April 2nd, 2015. Friends and Family are mourning the death of a Bellingham Man who was killed in an accidental shooting overnight.

Around 10:30 pm,  officers with the Bellingham Police Department, along with Bellingham Fire Department medics, responded to a residence in the 1200 block of Grant Street for reports of a person that had been shot in a residence.

Occupants at this address had called 911 to report that an adult male had  been shot by a handgun and was seriously injured.  When emergency responders arrived, they learned that the male victim had sustained a single  gunshot wound to the head.  Due to the serious nature of his injuries,  medics  transported him priority  to the  Emergency Room at PeaceHealth St. Joseph Medical Center.  The Man’s  immediate family was notified and responded to the hospital.  A support officer from the  local Support Officer Community Care organization also responded to assist the family. The injured male was declared deceased by medical staff in the early morning hours of April 3rd.

The Man has been identified as 23 year old Aaron R. Bornemann, of  Bellingham.

Police Detectives and Crime Scene Investigators were called in to examine all aspects of the scene.  As a result of  the Police interviews it was determined by police  that Masen Jon Potter, a 21 year old resident of the involved house on Grant Street, had fired the handgun which caused the death of Aaron Bornemann.

Police Say, Potter told Detectives that he and Aaron are good friends and had been hanging out together throughout the evening. The Bellingham Police also say the two men had been manipulating the gun together and Potter, who had experience with firearms says he thought the gun was unloaded when he grabbed the handgun, pointed it at Aaron’s head, and pulled the trigger.

Masen Potter was arrested for Manslaughter in the first degree (RCW 9A.32.060) which occurs when a person recklessly causes the death of another person.  Manslaughter in the first degree is a Class A Felony.

A friend of the men that we  spoke to said,  “It’s a shame because both guys were very good guys with big hearts and really good friends as well”

Aaron is the son of long-serving Bellingham City Council member Terry Bornemann. Terry has served on the Bellingham City Council for 16 years and recently announced he was running for re-election again  this year.