Killed on his birthday, in bed

Nicholas Danforth was shot to death as he lay in bed Thursday morning, just two hours after he turned 17.

The gunman was no stranger, sheriff’s deputies said. They believe the shooter was the Spanaway teen’s father, who might appear in court as early as today to answer a charge in the teen’s death.

The father was arrested Thursday and booked into the Pierce County Jail for investigation of first-degree manslaughter. He also was being held for failing to appear on a charge of driving while intoxicated. The News Tribune normally does not name suspects until they are charged.

Sheriff’s deputies released few details about the incident.

“The inconsistency of the stories and evidence at the crime scene has us concerned,” said sheriff’s spokesman Ed Troyer. “At minimum, we believe he is responsible for manslaughter one. Our detectives are continuing to work the case and investigate the inconsistencies.”

The shooting happened in a “pop-up” trailer parked behind a house in the 22900 block of 41st Avenue Court East, off Mountain Highway, in Spanaway, The man’s mother lives in the house.

The teen was shot with a handgun as he lay in bed at about 2 a.m. Thursday, Troyer said. The father reported the shooting to 911.

At the time of the incident, the suspect’s 2-year-old child was also in the trailer. The child, the teen’s half-sibling, was placed with relatives, Troyer said.

Counselors were on hand to talk with students at Bethel High School, where Nick, as friends called him, was a sophomore.

Though Nick had attended the school since only late October, his death deeply saddened classmates and faculty.

Sophomores Michelle Garwood, Ariel Crawford and Amber Maylor spent most of the school day drawing posters in memory of their friend.

They said Nick liked to fix cars and enjoyed the Junior ROTC class they shared. One of their posters read, “Cadet Danforth. Once a cadet, always a cadet.”

“He said it was his dream to go into the military, and he never got the chance,” Michelle said. “I miss him. I wish he would come back.”

Ariel was Nick’s date for the ROTC ball at McChord Air Force Base in January. Nick was kind and compassionate, she said, the kind of person who tried to cheer up people when they were feeling down.

“I’m in shock,” she said. “I don’t want to believe it actually happened, that a guy like that is actually gone. I’ve been crying all day.”

Nick’s English teacher recounted how Nick had enjoyed a recent class activity calling for him and other students to dress in togas, as the Romans did, after reading the play “Julius Caesar,” said district spokesman Mark Wenzel.

“It hit some teachers very hard,” Wenzel said.

Nick had dropped out of Bethel High School for about a week in late April, then re-enrolled in an online program offered at the school, Wenzel said.

Nick told friends that he was going to live with his mother and return to Mount Tahoma High School, where he spent ninth grade and the first month of this school year, Michelle recalled.

“He was sad he was going to leave his friends (at Bethel), but he was happy to live with his younger brother and mom and go back to Mount Tahoma,” she said.

At the Tacoma school, the death was yet another blow to friends and faculty who knew him. On Wednesday, Mount Tahoma endured the loss of senior Tyler Howes, who died of a sudden illness just hours before he was to graduate.

Students could seek help from counselors already available to help those dealing with Tyler’s death, said Tacoma schools spokeswoman Patti Holmgren.

“The Junior ROTC commander said he was a nice kid and member of the color guard, which is a responsible position,” she said of Nick. Though he had been gone for a year, she added, “He was well-liked by those who knew him.”