Gunman in Wash. School Shooting Targeted 2 Cousins, 3 Girls
UPDATE, 10/25/14: The two boys hospitalized following Friday’s shooting are cousins of the reported shooter, Jaylen Fryberg, The Seattle Times reports.
After initially being taken to Providence Regional Medical Center in Everett, Wash., Andrew Fryberg, 15, and Nate Hatch, 14, are now recovering at Harborview Medical Center in Seattle. Andrew is in serious condition with a head injury while Nate is in critical condition with a jaw injury, according to CNN.
Two female students, also suffering from head injuries, are in intensive care at Providence Regional Medical Center. CNN reports that the girls, identified as Shaylee Chuckulnaskit and Gia Soriano, both 14, are in critical condition.
While police have not confirmed a motive, multiple sources suggest that Fryberg was angry about a romantic relationship. A friend of one of the female victims told Reuters that Fryberg may have been fighting over her with one of his cousins:
“[Ninth] grader Bella Panjeli said she attended a different school but was friends with one of the female victims, calling her ‘a beautiful girl and so, so sweet.’
She also said Fryberg was in an ongoing dispute with his cousin over the victim’s affections.
‘I heard he asked her out and she rebuffed him and was with his cousin,’ Panjeli said, adding that she learned of the connection after talking to the victim’s family and friends. ‘It was a fight over a girl.’’’
The Times reports that Fryberg was also temporarily suspended from the football team last week after beating up a player who had used a racial slur against him. Fryberg was a member of a prominent Tulalip tribe family.
ORIGINAL STORY: A shooting on Friday morning at a Seattle-area high school has left two people dead, including the alleged shooter, and at least four people injured, according to reports.
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The suspect opened fire at Marysville-Pilchuck High in Marysville, Wash., before turning the gun on himself, reported The Seattle Times.
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Marysville Police Commander Robb Lamoureaux confirmed the deaths at a press conference, according to The Seattle Times.
“We are confident that there was only one shooter and that the shooter is dead,’’ Lamoureaux said. He did not confirm reports of injuries. Students were reporting that he was a freshman.
NBC News reports that two law enforcement sources identified the shooter as Jaylen Ray Fryberg, who was a freshman at the school. Friends described him as a popular football player who was recently crowned freshman homecoming prince. Sources told the network that Fryberg had recently gotten into some kind of a dispute with another student.
Three students in “very critical’’ condition were being treated for gunshot wounds at Providence Everett medical center, reported the Associated Press. The other shooting victim was reportedly in stable condition and taken to another area hospital.
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Some students provided first-person accounts to local media, according to AP:
Student Alan Perez told KING-TV he was eating his lunch at a nearby table when he heard the gunshots.
‘‘He had a little gun in his hand. I saw the flash from the muzzle,’’ he said.
Another student, Austin Taylor, told the station the shooter ‘‘was just staring down every one of his victims as he shot them.’’
The father of a student in the school during the shooting told KIRO TV that his son gave him a brief description of the chaotic scene.
“Our son just called to let us know that his kids are OK – his son was about 50 feet from the shooter – a student that he knows. Our grandson and his friends ran away – jumped a fence and went to a home in the area. He didn’t know about any victims but thought there was at least one,’’ said Tom Hopper, who emailed KIRO 7.
A student told CNN that the shooting began in the school’s cafeteria, after which teachers told students to run into their classrooms.
The school was placed on lockdown at 10:45 a.m.
The Marysville School District released a statement following the shooting:
“The Marysville Pilchuck High School is currently in lock down due to an emergency situation. Police and emergency services have responded. The Marysville School District lock down procedures will remain in effect at Pilchuck until further notice from law enforcement. We will continue to forward communication in cooperation with law enforcement.
Students who attend MPHS campus are being relocated to the Shoultes Community Church at the corner of 116th and 51st Street. Buses will take students home from there. Those parents in the area wanting to pick up their child will need to go to the church location and sign out their child out with school administrator or law enforcement.
All after-school activities across the district are canceled today.’’
Images from the scene were posted to social media and showed a police presence at the school.
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Some parents could be seen waiting for updates outside of the school.
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The school is located about 30 miles north of Seattle.
We will provide updates and further information becomes available.
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