Fight in bathroom over gun preceded fatal school shooting, Washington prosecutors say
_fitted.png "Before a fatal shooting at a Washington high school, two groups of students fought over a gun in a bathroom, according to prosecutors.")
Before a fatal shooting at a Washington high school, two groups of students fought over a gun in a bathroom, according to prosecutors.
About 10 minutes after the fight, the students met again in the hallway where a 14-year-old student is accused of shooting a 17-year-old student on Nov. 8 at Ingraham High School in Seattle, according to charging documents from the King County Prosecuting Attorney’s Office.
The 14-year-old was charged on Monday, Nov. 14, with first-degree murder in the 17-year-old’s death and first-degree assault, as he is accused of shooting at another teen boy as well, according to court documents.
A 15-year-old boy was arrested on the day of the shooting with a gun inside his backpack on a Metro bus and was charged with first-degree felony rendering criminal assistance, prosecutors said.
Both teens are also facing a second-degree unlawful possession of a firearm charge, according to prosecutors.
Prosecutors filed a motion requesting a hearing, asking a juvenile court judge to allow the 14-year-old to be tried as an adult, according to an email from a King County Prosecuting Attorney’s Office spokesperson.
“If the case were to remain in Juvenile Court, a 14-year-old convicted of murder could remain in Juvenile Rehabilitation custody until his 21st birthday -- even in a premediated First Degree Murder case. That is state law,” the spokesperson said.
The lead-up up to the fatal shooting
Prior to the fatal shooting, two groups of three students fought in a bathroom over a handgun one of the students brought to school, according to court documents.
The 17-year-old who was later shot and two friends were fighting with a group of three other students, which included the 14-year-old, in a bathroom because they “wanted the gun,” court documents show.
During the fight, the 14-year-old accused shooter’s phone may have been taken, prosecutors said.
Camera footage from the school shows the two groups of students then leave the bathroom and the 17-year-old victim laughing at the other group, prosecutors said.
The shooting
Another student told police they saw the 14-year-old and one of his friends walk toward the three other students in the hallway 10 minutes after the bathroom fight, prosecutors said. The 17-year-old told the accused shooter, “You’re not gonna bust it,” meaning the student wouldn’t fire the gun.
The 14-year-old then pulled a gun from his backpack and shot the 17-year-old multiple times, according to court documents.
Video footage shows the boy falling to the floor, and the 14-year-old counting to fire, including shooting in the direction of another 17-year-old student as he fled down the hall, prosecutors said.
The accused shooter then ran out of the school with the gun in his hand, video footage shows, and a teacher saw a 15-year-old boy walking toward an exit at the time of the shooting, according to court documents.
After the shooting
A woman later spoke with police to tell them she saw two teens in her backyard, according to court documents. The woman, who lives less than a half-mile from the school, spoke with the two teens who said they fled from school after a shooting.
The woman then invited the two inside, according to court documents. She offered to drive them back to school, but they said no.
During their 30-minute visit, the woman photographed the two without them knowing and the photos of the teens match those taken of the suspects at the time of arrest, prosecutors said.
The pair were arrested shortly after leaving the woman’s home, according to court documents.
Both teens remain in custody at the Child and Family Justice Center, according to an email from the King County Prosecuting Attorney’s Office. They are expected to appear in court on Tuesday afternoon.
This story was originally published November 15, 2022 at 1:53 PM with the headline "Fight in bathroom over gun preceded fatal school shooting, Washington prosecutors say."
