Students are evacuated from Marysville-Pilchuck High
School by law enforcement following a shooting at the school on Friday.
The shooter was identified as Jaylen Fryberg, a well-liked freshman
football player.
Associated Press
MARYSVILLE, Wash.—
Jaylen Fryberg
was well liked and athletic, a football player named to his high
school’s homecoming court just one week ago. He was also facing
problems, writing of some unspecified troubles on his Twitter feed: “It
breaks me. It actually does…”
The popular Marysville-Pilchuck High School freshman opened fire in the school’s cafeteria late Friday morning, a government official with direct knowledge of the shooting told the Associated Press.
One girl was killed and four other
young people—including two of the gunman’s cousins—were badly wounded
before Mr. Fryberg fatally shot himself, witnesses, police and relatives
said. His motives remained unclear. Some students described Mr. Fryberg
as happy and social, even though he had recently fought with a boy over
a girl.
Shaylee Bass, a 15-year-old
sophomore, said he remained upset about that, but she was stunned by the
shooting. “He was not a violent person,” she said. “His family is known
all around town. He was very well known. That’s what makes it so
bizarre.”
Students and parents said Mr.
Fryberg was a member of a prominent family from the nearby Tulalip
Indian tribes and was a freshman football player. A week ago, he stood
on the high school track during the team’s homecoming game in a vest,
tie and white sash as he was introduced as a prince, according to a
video recorded by parent
Jim McGauhey.
Students said the gunman stared
at his victims as he fired. The shootings set off a chaotic scene as
students ran from the cafeteria and building in a frantic dash to
safety, while others huddled inside classrooms at the school 30 miles
north of Seattle.
People react as they wait at a church Friday where
students were taken to be reunited with parents following a shooting at
Marysville Pilchuck High School in Marysville, Wash.
Associated Press
Marysville police declined to release the shooter’s identity, with Chief
Rick Smith
insisting he didn’t want to “dramatize someone who perpetuated a
violent crime in a place where children should feel safe.”
But
many students identified Mr. Fryberg as the gunman, and the identity
was confirmed to the Associated Press by a government official who spoke
on condition of anonymity because he wasn’t authorized to speak to the
media.
Marysville Police Commander
Robb Lamoureux
said the gunman died of a self-inflicted wound, but he couldn’t provide more details.
Three
of the victims had head wounds and were in critical condition. Two
unidentified young women were at Providence Everett Medical Center, and
15-year-old
Andrew Fryberg
was at Harborview Medical Center in Seattle, a hospital official
said.
Another victim, 14-year-old
Nate Hatch,
was listed in serious condition at Harborview, the hospital said.
Family members told KIRO-TV that Andrew Fryberg and Mr. Hatch are
cousins of Jaylen Fryberg.
Witnesses
described the shooter as methodical inside the cafeteria. Isabella
MacKeige, 18, was having lunch with a friend when the suddenly heard
gunshots behind them. “I heard six shots go off and I turned and saw
people diving under the tables,” she said. “In my brain I thought ‘run!’
So I left my backpack, my phone and my purse and got out the door as
fast as I could.”
Some students got hurt
when they tripped and fell in the chaos, she said. They ran across an
open field to the fence that circles the schoolyard and climbed over.
Ms.
MacKeige kept running until she felt safe and found a phone. “I called
my mom and she said, ‘stay where you are—I don’t want to lose you,’ ”
she said.
Brian Patrick
said his daughter, a freshman, was 10 feet from the gunman. She
ran from the cafeteria and immediately called her mother. Mr. Patrick
said his daughter said, “The guy walked into the cafeteria, pulled out a
gun and started shooting. No arguing, no yelling.”
A crowd of parents later waited in a parking lot outside a nearby church where they were reunited with their children.
Mr.
Fryberg’s Twitter feed suggested he was struggling with an unidentified
problem. On Wednesday, a posting read: “It won’t last…It’ll never
last.” On Monday, another said: “I should have listened.…You were
right…The whole time you were right.”
Marysville-Pilchuck
High School has a number of students from the Tulalip Indian tribes.
Ron Iukes,
a youth counselor with the tribe, said Jaylen Fryberg was from a
well-known tribal family. “They’re real good people, very loving,” he
said. “Jaylen was one of our good kids.”
State
Sen.
John McCoy,
a tribal member, said the tribal community was devastated. “We’re
all related in one shape or form. We live and work and play together.”
Hundreds of people prayed and sang songs at a church vigil Friday night for victims and family members.
The
Oak Harbor high-school football team, which had been set to play
Marysville Friday night, lined the front row of Grove Church in their
purple jerseys. The game was canceled and Oak Harbor offered to give the
win to Marysville.
Pastor
Nik Baumgart
told the overflow crowd there was no script for reacting to
Friday’s events. “One moment we’re thinking, we can do this,” Mr.
Baumgart said. “Another moment, we’re thinking, how can we do this?”
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