Gig Harbor grocery shooting victim dies of injuries
GIG HARBOR, Wash. - One of the three men injured when a 20-year-old woman opened fire at a Gig Harbor-area grocery in August has died of his wounds, officials said.
The victim, identified as David Long, 40, of Wauna died Saturday at Tacoma General Hospital, where he has been ever since the shooting.
The accused shooter, Laura K. Sorenson, 20, walked into the Peninsula Market at Lake Kathryn Village just before 1 p.m. on Aug. 11 and started firing at customers before being tackled to the ground, according to prosecutors.
Long was the most seriously injured of the three victims. He was hit in the torso by a bullet that went through his body and out his back.
One other man was hit in the leg by gunfire. A third man, a store cashier, was wounded from a ricochet.
Sorenson currently is facing two attempted murder charges and an assault charge in the shooting. Prosecutors weren't available Saturday to comment on the possibility of charges being increased now that one victim has died.
According to court documents, witnesses told police that Sorenson said something about "killing" people prior to pulling out a revolver from her purse and firing four to five shots.
A woman who came into the store was able to hold Sorenson down until police arrived, documents said. Investigators said Sorenson had already run out of bullets and put down the gun.
After the shooting, Sorenson revealed to detectives she has a mental condition and is on medication, documents said, adding she wanted to kill herself and wanted to know what it felt like to kill someone else first.
She told detectives she went to her grandmother's home, grabbed a revolver, then went to the market, according to court documents.
Sorensen also told detectives she had been molested as a young child and hated men, prosecutors said.
The victim, identified as David Long, 40, of Wauna died Saturday at Tacoma General Hospital, where he has been ever since the shooting.
The accused shooter, Laura K. Sorenson, 20, walked into the Peninsula Market at Lake Kathryn Village just before 1 p.m. on Aug. 11 and started firing at customers before being tackled to the ground, according to prosecutors.
Long was the most seriously injured of the three victims. He was hit in the torso by a bullet that went through his body and out his back.
One other man was hit in the leg by gunfire. A third man, a store cashier, was wounded from a ricochet.
Sorenson currently is facing two attempted murder charges and an assault charge in the shooting. Prosecutors weren't available Saturday to comment on the possibility of charges being increased now that one victim has died.
According to court documents, witnesses told police that Sorenson said something about "killing" people prior to pulling out a revolver from her purse and firing four to five shots.
A woman who came into the store was able to hold Sorenson down until police arrived, documents said. Investigators said Sorenson had already run out of bullets and put down the gun.
After the shooting, Sorenson revealed to detectives she has a mental condition and is on medication, documents said, adding she wanted to kill herself and wanted to know what it felt like to kill someone else first.
She told detectives she went to her grandmother's home, grabbed a revolver, then went to the market, according to court documents.
Sorensen also told detectives she had been molested as a young child and hated men, prosecutors said.
I absolutely hate it when people play "victim" and use it as an excuse to hurt others.  That is BS.Â
And so her defense begins as being a 'victim' who must then vicitimize others. PHOOEY!
My nephew is the store clerk that was hit in the leg by the bullet that ricocheted and knew him as a regular customer and a wonderful person. I am so sorry for all involved. RIP Mr Long.
 @panda bear I;m glad your nephew is ok, I was in Idaho when it happened, you never think it will happen where you live but it does.
I am so sad for the victims family. This is premeditated murder. I don't care what is wrong with her. I don't care what was done to her as a child. She needs to be executed.Â
Her grandmother should be absolutely ASHAMED for allowing this crazy, evil girl to take her firearm. Perhaps the survivors should consider their legal options. I am not sure if a lawsuit against the grandmother for negligence would succeed, but such actions perhaps ought to be considered.
 @Whobeke People like you make me sick. The only person guilty is this crazy girl. Get a life.
 @Whobeke Because you somehow know that the grandmother was aware that this girl took her firearm? I'm guessing she didn't!! This girl alone is responsible for her actions. For crying out loud.
@SusieQ @Whobeke It's not about being aware she took the firearm or not, it's about being responsible enough to lock up your firearms to prevent others from getting access to them. They should at least investigate to see what the grandmother did to prevent un authorized access.
Please don't ever let her out.
I will never in a million years understand why someone with a mental condition refuses to take medication that truly helps them when they comply the the regimen, I just do not understand that! Mental illness or not she should be locked away for the rest of her life! Wanted to die but see what is was like to kill someone first, REALLY!!! Coincidentally she ran out of bullets before she took her own life, yeah right. She may be mentally ill, but she knew enough to start telling people that she was mentally ill and off of her medications. Thus proving she knew the importance of taking the medications for her illness. I have said it a hundred times on here just because you were hurt as a child, you can CHOOSE not to hurt others!!! That does not give you an license to go on a killing spree just because you hate men because you were molested.
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My prayers to the families that fell victim to this girl!
 @cajunurse Hey - this ain't the 50's.
People have a right to be crazy.
Bad Doctors and their Evil Medicines.
YOUR policies made this possible.
Congratulations.
 @T-Prop I am not taking away anyone's right to be crazy go right ahead! You can be crazy all you want but that DOES NOT give you the right to kill someone because you are crazy! You say medicines are evil, but i think the medications are better than the lobotomies they used to perform on all mental illnesses from depression to psychosis! And please tell me how MY policies made this possible, last time I checked I was not involved in any policy making!
 @cajunurse  That's one of the problems with our system... we have no mechanism anymore for enforcing compliance with taking medications. Sometimes the medications have very uncomfortable side effects, and sometimes taking the medication has people feeling "normal" so they don't think they need it anymore... in any event, our system is now dependent on those who have a mental illness (their reasoning is impaired) making rational decisions for themselves. I surely would not want to return to the days when someone could have their wife committed to a mental institution for getting mad or being upset (which was more common than we like to think), but somewhere between being able to commit anyone for any reason and not watching over the mentally ill at all there has to be a reasonable compromise.
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Sad that he had to suffer for so long- that should make the consequences more severe. Her actions are reprehensible.Â
Well, now she knows what it's like to kill someone. Maybe her next big experience will be a nice big dose of phenobarbital.
I was molested, beaten, and abused as a child too. I would never do such a horrendous thing like she has done, no matter how bad my day gets. So sick of these psychos' using this for an excuse to go on a killing spree. Only I am in control of my decisions and my childhood tormentors have no power over me.
 @fumblefacedolt I am so sorry that happened to you.  You are right, people who use the "abuse excuse" knew what they were doing was wrong because they knew it was wrong when it was being done TO THEM.  IF this woman is telling the truth, she should still be locked up forever and/or executed but that's not likely in this state.  When they plea bargained with Ridgway they took away that possibility.
Poor thing my a** she deserves to be put in prison and throw away the key. I get so tired of hearing about the poor predator, and who cares about the victim in this case. These scum lawyers are just trying to set up an insanity plea.
 @Telman@ lawyers a problem for a very long time. shakespeare had it right: 'first, we kill all the lawyers...'
What sad news, I'm very sorry for the family. I can't imagine my spouse or loved one going to the store to pick up a couple things and winding up dead.Â
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 @Lifelike Are you wearin' a bootythong in your user pic?
Mentally ill?
Oh well then!
Guess that makes it OK.
I feel so sorry for this man and his family.
Why don't these abuse victims ever go back and take revenge on those who abused them? They always take their rage out on innocent people.
This is one of those cases where she is guilty, but insane, not Not Guilty by reason of insanity. Â It's unfortunate treatment didn't work for her, but it didn't force her off her meds or provide her with a firearm to shoot up a store. Â This innocent victim is gone for good, his loss needs to be the important factor here not that she's mentally ill and can't control herself or wanted to see what it felt like to kill somebody. Â She should not be let out again.
This Sh$t happens all the time. A youth with no self confidence in life.
 @MidnightRambler She really is mentally ill, she didn't make that up.  Her parents did what they could but she's legally an adult.
 @Doxie  @MidnightRambler If her family knew she was mentally ill, why was there a gun where she had access to it?
 @teahater  @Willow Totally agree.
 @Willow  @Doxie All good points...good discussion. Why wasn't the gun locked?  Why did Grandma even have it? Â
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Bottom line for me is that if she was considered that dangerous then NO gun should have been n the house and perhaps she should have been institutionalized.Â
 @Willow  @MidnightRambler Agree.  It says she 'grabbed a revolver,' whatever that means.  For all we know, grandma had it to protect herself from this girl.
 @Doxie  @MidnightRambler If it had been locked up, it wouldn't have been easy to get.
 @Willow  @MidnightRambler I have no idea.  I wonder that too.  But if her grandma wasn't home or is feeble (story doesn't say) and she knew there was a gun there, it would be pretty easy to get it.  Sad, the guy that died is pretty young too and he just went for groceries and never went home.
see the quarter is still in the air between schools and parents,,,,, who will and can teach and back up self confidence. my opinion@MidnightRamblerÂ
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 @CHTtalker Wow you are a s**t talker... Take a look at your driver's license.  If it looks like mine, your right.
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 @Xing0L  @CHTtalker Whoa, you are condoning the rape of a mentally-ill person? That is sick on several different levels.
WOW really what the hell is this #&*@ thinking. if your going to wax yourself do it. your one less mouth the working man has to pay for.  however how selfish of you think about your loved ones and those inoccent people you hurt. Jesus dont they have enough reallity video games to give you the real feel of killing someone.
My heart breaks for the victim's family. Â I hope this little heretic burns in HELL.
That poor man suffered for two MONTHS before dying! Â Unimaginable - for his loved ones too. Â I am so sorry for him and for them, and also for the shooter's family, who have also suffered (just imagine their feelings of guilt).
Time to up the charges.........mental issues aside, she should not be allowed to roam free, ever.
 @Doxie Whoa, didn't catch this.  That would be terrible. I'm sure he was not in pain per se but the mental anguish of slowly slipping away...frightening for all involve.
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i think she went beyond graffiti, when will Justis prevail? ......RIP
Very sad ending to an already tragic event. Condolences to Mr. Long's family. It must have been an extremely tough battle and I'm so sorry it had to end this way. This so-called woman doesn't deserve to be out in the public anymore. Let her hang herself in prison or put her away so no one else can be harmed from her.
Well I hope this will be enough to put this psycho away for life. BTW, this happened in Wauna, not Gig Harbor! Saw that in the headline and thought there was some other shooting that just happened I never heard about.
Guy just wanted to live another day and go about his business, never thinking for moment that a nutjob would cross his path. Nobody should ever have that  thought cross their minds.Â
This is awful; sincerest of condolences to the family of this young man!!!!!
 @Throbbinhood  Good point, I bet getting shot and killed were the last things on his mind when he went to the grocery store for a couple items.What is the lesson here, should everyone purchase a gun and a permit to carry one concealed? When is it time to get paranoid, I read about these shooting in Seattle almost daily now ?
Someone needs to grant her wish....
 @Grumpa seriously.
So sad for the family of this man! Also sad for the shooter - she is a sick girl. Her family begged for help for her but because of her age could not get her committed. Her mother wrote the governor because of the state of mental health care in this state, the laws that tied her hands, because she was afraid something like this would happen. the Tacoma News Tribune has a well written piece on this. This was a sick girl that our systems failed.Â
 @justsaying Thank you for this information.  It's very sad that this state gives children the right to make medical decisions when they are not mature enough to be making them.  It's sad to think that none of this may have happened if her mother was able to get her the help she needed.
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 @justsaying Couldn't agree more on all points. I know a thing or two about mental illness up close and personal, and the delusions are very, very powerful and must be taken seriously. Obviously, this is just terrible for the victims- so sorry to see that others had to be affected by her disease. But also, terrible for the girl, her parents, and other loved ones. Furthermore, I'm pretty sure I wouldn't be hearing people calling this girl some of the names I'm reading here if they had any serious encounters with real life psychosis symptoms. Just a little compassion here folks, would be much appreciated.