|
 The shooter and one girl, identified by a family friend as Zoe
Galasso, were killed, while the other freshmen students were gravely
wounded in the Friday morning shooting at Marysville-Pilchuck High
School, an hour's drive north of Seattle.
Another victim, 14-year-old Gia Soriano, died on Sunday evening, an
area hospital said.
"We are devastated by this senseless tragedy. Gia is our beautiful
daughter and words cannot express how much we will miss her,"
Soriano's family said in a brief statement.
The rampage, the latest in a string of violent incidents that have
prompted national debate about school safety and gun control, sent
shock waves through the Tulalip Tribes, a Native American
organization that operates two casinos and an outlet mall, and
beyond to Marysville, a town of about 63,000.
On Sunday afternoon, hundreds of students and their families packed
a campus gym for speeches by school and area leaders in a mood
marked by somber reflection, nagging questions, and a desire for
solidarity between the neighboring but interwoven communities.
"Our community has taken a real hard kick in the belly," said Tony
Hatch, a relative of one of the victims. "Our kids have all grown up
together. Our communities are building that bond together. We're
really damaged right now."
After he spoke, the crowd stood in unison as some two dozen tribal
members, one beating a hand-held drum, sang a traditional honor song
for the victims.
While police have not officially identified the gunman or discussed
possible motives, family members told Reuters 14-year-old Jaylen
Fryberg was the shooter, and the two male victims were his cousins,
Nate Hatch, 14, and Andrew Fryberg, 15.
Hatch, in serious condition with a gunshot to the jaw, improved on
Sunday, while Andrew Fryberg was in critical condition with a
gunshot wound to the head, hospital officials said.
Female victim Shaylee Chuckulnaskit, 14, remained in critical
condition at a different hospital, officials said. The shooter
carried a .40 caliber handgun which he used to kill himself, police
said.
Family and tribal members recalled that the boys, especially Jaylen
Fryberg and Hatch, seemed like best friends, growing up doors away
from each other near Marysville.
They rode four-wheelers along back roads near the Puget Sound just
months ago, played video games after school, went to the movies and
played basketball and football together, family members said.
The boys also were often together with the victims, attending the
ceremonial First Salmon festival in June and, on the Saturday before
the shooting, Jaylen Fryberg and all the victims went to a high
school dance together.
[to top of second column]
|
Formally attired, they went out for dinner and posed for photos near
the swimming pool at a tribe casino, said Don Hatch, Nate's
grandfather.
"You would think there was some animosity that caused it, but they
were the best of friends, they were like brothers," he told Reuters.
"All of us wonder why, but we are trying to pray together and heal
and forge on." SEARCH FOR ANSWERS
Details about the shooting are still emerging, including the heroics
of Megan Silberberger, a young, first-year social studies teacher
named.
According to a statement provided by her union, Silberberger said
she rushed into the cafeteria when she heard gunfire and "confronted
the shooter" and "did everything possible to protect students" until
on-campus security arrived.
The school will be closed on Monday.
"For our generation, we couldn't have even fathomed something like
this," said Marysville resident Frank Ripley, standing near a
makeshift memorial of flowers and notes near the school. "For some
of these kids, they've now heard about it so many times ... they
almost in a way are desensitized to it."
Jaylen Fryberg, from a prominent Tulalip Indian Reservation family,
was described by classmates and parents as a popular member of the
football team who was also homecoming prince.
"Jaylen was always outgoing, an athlete," Brandon Hatch, a
26-year-old cousin, said, adding that there was no indication of
trouble between the cousins before the incident. "He was a funny guy
at times, too, a jokester."
Others saw some troubling signs. Classmates and parents said Jaylen
Fryberg had recently been in a fight with another high school
football player over a disparaging remark made during practice.
And Jaylen Fryberg himself hinted on social media at a
disappointment of some sort, with messages suggesting heartbreak and
anger. [ID:nL2N0SJ31I]
"There is a disconnect," said Jay Napeahi, executive director of
Tulalip Housing. "We're trying to make sense of it."
(Additional reporting by Kevin Murphy in Kansas City; Editing by
Chris Michaud, Jason Neely, Frank McGurty, Eric Walsh; Paul Simao
and Michael Perry)
[© 2014 Thomson Reuters. All rights
reserved.] Copyright 2014 Reuters. All rights reserved. This material may not be published,
broadcast, rewritten or redistributed. |
