Court documents filed in Whatcom County Superior Court provide new details about a shooting incident on Birch Bay Drive on the evening of Sunday, September 6, 2026, that left one person with a gunshot wound and sent multiple firearms into a public roadway outside a restaurant in the Birch Bay community. Two men have been charged and remain held on $1 million bail each, with their next court hearing scheduled for September 17.
According to affidavits of probable cause filed by the Whatcom County Prosecuting Attorney's Office on September 8, the confrontation unfolded around 7:20 p.m. when surveillance video showed multiple individuals wearing vests displaying "Mongols" patches arrive on motorcycles and park across the street from a business on Birch Bay Drive.
What the Surveillance Video Showed
William Stephen Huskey, 54, approached the business on foot wearing a vest displaying "Bandito" patches, accompanied by a female. According to the affidavit, the group of Mongols-affiliated individuals crossed the street, surrounded Huskey and the woman outside the business, and initiated a confrontation. Huskey told law enforcement the group demanded he remove his patches. The demand to remove club insignia is a recognized form of dominance assertion between rival motorcycle clubs, carrying deep significance within club culture and frequently serving as a trigger for physical confrontation.
Huskey stated he told the group he would defend himself. A struggle followed. Surveillance footage then showed Huskey draw a handgun and point it at one of the individuals. One person dropped to the ground with a gunshot wound to the foot and was subsequently taken to PeaceHealth St. Joseph Medical Center in Bellingham for treatment.
Video then showed Roman Mayne De Isla Puga, 31, retreat across Birch Bay Drive to a motorcycle, retrieve a firearm from a compartment on the vehicle, and fire toward Huskey. A second, still-unidentified individual also fired toward Huskey. Mayne De Isla Puga then crossed Birch Bay Drive and moved toward Huskey while continuing to fire. Huskey ran north and returned fire toward the group. Multiple shell casings were recovered from the roadway, and bullet strikes were found on nearby residential units. The fact that projectiles reached residential structures underscores how dangerous the exchange was for people with no connection to either club who happened to be in the immediate area.
Arrests, Charges, and Bail
Whatcom County Sheriff's deputies stopped Mayne De Isla Puga on Birch Bay Lynden Road at approximately 8:20 p.m., about an hour after the shooting. He told officers he had not been involved in the shooting and was riding south to buy fuel. Deputies stopped Huskey on Birch Bay Lynden Road near Kickerville Road at approximately 8:15 p.m. Huskey had a 9mm handgun on his person and told deputies he had fired it during the confrontation. Neither man had traveled far from the scene before being stopped, suggesting both remained in the immediate area after the shooting rather than attempting to flee the region.
Both men were booked into the Whatcom County Jail. During arraignment hearings on September 8, prosecutors requested bail be set at no bail or $1 million bond with no cash alternative for both defendants. The request for no bail reflected prosecutors' view of the defendants as presenting a significant public safety risk. The court set bail at $1 million bond with no cash alternative. As of September 9, both men remain in custody.
Huskey faces three counts of first-degree assault, a felony, plus one count of reckless endangerment as a gross misdemeanor. Mayne De Isla Puga faces one count of first-degree assault, one count of drive-by shooting, both felonies, and one count of making a false or misleading statement to a public servant, a gross misdemeanor, stemming from his claim to officers that he had not been involved. A third individual who is suspected of also firing a weapon has not been identified. The investigation into that individual's identity is presumably ongoing.
Context and Community Impact
The Mongols and Bandidos (also spelled Banditos in some documents) are both federally designated outlaw motorcycle clubs with documented histories of violent conflict in multiple states. Law enforcement agencies at the local, state, and federal levels monitor club activity as part of organized crime and gang intelligence efforts. Confrontations between rival club members, often triggered by disputes over territory, insignia, or perceived disrespect, have resulted in violence in jurisdictions across the country over several decades.
Birch Bay is a residential and recreational waterfront community in northwest Whatcom County, situated between Bellingham and Blaine. The area draws both year-round residents and seasonal visitors, particularly during the summer months when the shallow, warm waters of Birch Bay attract families. A public shooting outside a restaurant, with bullets striking residential units, represents a serious safety incident for a community that is accustomed to low levels of violent crime. Residents near the scene of the shooting would have heard the exchange of gunfire and would have had no way of knowing in real time that the shots were not directed at bystanders.
The location on Birch Bay Drive is a commercial corridor that sees significant pedestrian and vehicle traffic, particularly during summer evenings. The fact that the incident occurred at approximately 7:20 p.m. on a Sunday in early September means the area would still have had substantial activity from diners, shoppers, and families. The presence of bystanders in a setting where multiple firearms were discharged across a public roadway amplifies the legal and community significance of the charges filed.
The next scheduled court hearing for both defendants is September 17, 2026, in Whatcom County Superior Court. Charges may be amended as the investigation continues and if the third unidentified shooter is apprehended. Court records in Whatcom County are publicly searchable through the Washington Courts case search system. A related story on charges filed in the case provides additional background on the initial police response and first court appearances.
