Shooting leaves teen dead, another injured
SEATTLE - One teen was killed and another injured in a shooting in the city's Central District on Friday night, according to police.
The two boys, aged 15 and 16, were shot near 25th Avenue and Cherry Street at 8:22 p.m., police said.
The 15-year-old victim, who was shot in the torso, managed to make his way to the gym of nearby Garfield High School, where a youth event was being held, and ask for help.
Police quickly arrived and found the 16-year-old victim on the stairs in the back leading to 25th Avenue. He was unresponsive.
Both victims were transported to Harborview Medical Center, where the 16-year-old died. The surviving victim was reported to be in stable condition, but uncooperative.
The gunman remains at large. No information is known about the gunman, police said, as there were no known witnesses to the shooting.
It is not known what triggered the shooting; however, investigators believe it may have been gang or drug-related.
Metz said the two victims, who are not students of Garfield High School, have had past run-ins with the police. The shooting, Metz said, was not connected in any way to the youth event being held at the school.
Neighbor Glenn Bates said he was startled by a series of loud noises that shook up the neighborhood on Friday night.
"I heard, probably, five to seven gunshots. At first I thought, 'well, maybe - you always want to think the best - well, maybe it's just fireworks," he said.
But Bates soon heard the police sirens and the street outside the school was soon flooded with police officers, medics and shocked onlookers.
"The word spread pretty quickly and there was a lot of crying. Everybody was on (their) phones and it was pretty chaotic for a few minutes," he said.
Hu'lena Jackson, who said she knows the two victims, said she was in a state of disbelief.
"I really don't understand. It's kind of shocking. It's not really connecting to my mind," she said. "They're nice kids, you know, like to hang out."
The investigation is being conducted by homicide detectives and gang units.
The two boys, aged 15 and 16, were shot near 25th Avenue and Cherry Street at 8:22 p.m., police said.
The 15-year-old victim, who was shot in the torso, managed to make his way to the gym of nearby Garfield High School, where a youth event was being held, and ask for help.
Police quickly arrived and found the 16-year-old victim on the stairs in the back leading to 25th Avenue. He was unresponsive.
Both victims were transported to Harborview Medical Center, where the 16-year-old died. The surviving victim was reported to be in stable condition, but uncooperative.
The gunman remains at large. No information is known about the gunman, police said, as there were no known witnesses to the shooting.
It is not known what triggered the shooting; however, investigators believe it may have been gang or drug-related.
Metz said the two victims, who are not students of Garfield High School, have had past run-ins with the police. The shooting, Metz said, was not connected in any way to the youth event being held at the school.
Neighbor Glenn Bates said he was startled by a series of loud noises that shook up the neighborhood on Friday night.
"I heard, probably, five to seven gunshots. At first I thought, 'well, maybe - you always want to think the best - well, maybe it's just fireworks," he said.
But Bates soon heard the police sirens and the street outside the school was soon flooded with police officers, medics and shocked onlookers.
"The word spread pretty quickly and there was a lot of crying. Everybody was on (their) phones and it was pretty chaotic for a few minutes," he said.
Hu'lena Jackson, who said she knows the two victims, said she was in a state of disbelief.
"I really don't understand. It's kind of shocking. It's not really connecting to my mind," she said. "They're nice kids, you know, like to hang out."
The investigation is being conducted by homicide detectives and gang units.