A Bellingham man has been sentenced to just over four years in state prison for his role in a fatal gang-related drive-by shooting that killed a 26-year-old man on the Guide Meridian in October 2025. The sentencing of Alan Ramos closes the final criminal proceeding in a case that tore through a local family and left a community on one of Whatcom County's busiest corridors on edge.
The Sentence and the Charges
Alan Ramos, 21, was sentenced in Whatcom County Superior Court to just over four years in state prison after pleading guilty to second-degree manslaughter and third-degree assault. Following his release, Ramos will serve an additional year and a half under community custody supervision by the Washington State Department of Corrections.
The plea agreement allowed Ramos to resolve the case without a jury trial. He had originally faced more serious charges including murder and attempted murder, which carry significantly longer sentence ranges. By accepting responsibility through a plea, Ramos avoided those maximum exposures while the prosecution secured a binding prison term.
According to Bellingham Police Department detectives and court documents, both Ramos and his co-defendant had known the victims through gang affiliations, though court documents did not specify a particular motive beyond those associations.
The October 2025 Shooting
The shooting took place in October 2025 on the Guide Meridian -- officially Washington State Route 539 -- the busy commercial and residential corridor that runs north from Bellingham through Ferndale toward Blaine. In a drive-by shooting, Ramos and another man fired into a vehicle, striking Daytin Duronso-Harp, 26, in the head. Duronso-Harp, a Bellingham-area man, died from his injuries. A second victim, age 25, was wounded but survived.
The Guide Meridian corridor handles some of Whatcom County's heaviest traffic volumes north of Bellingham, flanked by residential neighborhoods, commercial strips, and apartment complexes. The incident sent a shock through those communities at the time and renewed attention to gang-related activity in the area.
Daytin Duronso-Harp was 26 years old at the time of his death. His obituary, published in October 2025, described him as connected to family in the Bellingham area.
The First Defendant's Earlier Sentence
Ramos is the second person sentenced in connection with the shooting. His brother, 19-year-old Royelio Marquez, was sentenced earlier this year to seven months in prison after pleading guilty to rendering criminal assistance. Marquez was not alleged to have fired the weapon but was implicated in actions taken after the shooting, which is the basis of the rendering criminal assistance charge.
The difference in sentences directly reflects the difference in their roles. Rendering criminal assistance -- helping a suspect cover up or flee after a crime -- carries a much lower sentence range than the manslaughter charge Ramos faced as the person alleged to have fired the weapon.
The Guide Meridian and Gang Activity in Whatcom County
Gang-related violence is not a defining feature of Bellingham's public safety picture, but the city and surrounding communities are not insulated from it. The Guide Meridian corridor, which connects Bellingham's north end to Ferndale, Blaine, and the Canadian border, has occasionally been a location for gang-related incidents over the years. The October 2025 shooting was the most serious incident on the corridor in recent memory.
The Bellingham Police Department coordinates with the Whatcom County Sheriff's Office on gang-related enforcement and intelligence sharing. The swift arrest and prosecution of both Ramos and Marquez -- within months of the October 2025 incident -- reflects coordination between BPD detectives and the Whatcom County Prosecutor's Office.
What Comes Next for Ramos
Ramos will begin serving his sentence in the Washington State Department of Corrections system. With time already served in pretrial custody typically credited against the sentence, the effective remaining prison time may be shorter than the full term imposed. The community custody period that follows his release will include supervision requirements around employment, housing, and restricted contact with victims and co-defendants.
For the family of Daytin Duronso-Harp, the conclusion of both cases brings legal closure but does not undo the loss. The sentencing of both men marks the end of the prosecution phase of a case that began with a preventable act of violence on a Tuesday afternoon on one of the county's busiest roads.
Residents with information about gang activity in Whatcom County can contact the Bellingham Police Department's non-emergency line at 360-676-6911 or submit anonymous tips through Whatcom County Crime Stoppers. Anonymous tips that lead to an arrest may be eligible for a cash reward through the Crime Stoppers program.
The Whatcom County Prosecutor's Office handles felony cases arising from Bellingham, Ferndale, Blaine, Lynden, and all unincorporated areas of the county. Serious violent crimes like the Guide Meridian shooting typically receive priority prosecution resources, and plea agreements in those cases require sign-off from senior prosecutors before being presented to the court for sentencing. The office is located at the Whatcom County Courthouse on Grand Avenue in downtown Bellingham.
