Murder charges filed against teenager in Pierce County mass shooting. Bail: $2M
In the aftermath of a mass shooting that left two people dead and four injured in Pierce County on Saturday, prosecutors have charged a 17-year-old boy with murder.
Prosecutors charged the teenager with two counts of first-degree murder and second-degree unlawful possession of a firearm, court records show.
The teen has been charged automatically as an adult due to his age and the severity of the charges. During the teen’s arraignment on Monday at Pierce County Juvenile Court, Judge Joseph Evans ordered his name not be released by the news media. That was in response to a defense attorney’s argument that there are issues regarding the shooter’s identification. There are also concerns of retaliation.
The teen’s attorney, Michael Stewart, referenced charging documents that said a witness came forward to identify the shooter through the an Instagram account but did not know his name. Documents show detectives believe the user of that Instagram account is the 17-year-old.
“It’s not my client. It’s a young man who looks a lot like my client,” Stewart argued.
A plea of not guilty was entered on the teen’s behalf. He is being held on a $2 million bail.
During the hearing, Stewart said that “a number” of the teen’s family members and mentors were in the court’s gallery.
The identifications of the two males who had been killed have not yet been released, pending confirmation from the Pierce County Medical Examiner’s Office.
Charging details
A detective was dispatched at 12:55 a.m. to the 17000 block of 25th Avenue Court East near Spanaway for a homicide investigation. There was a large party in the area with about 40 to 50 mostly young people in attendance, according to charging documents.
Prior to the call for the homicide, multiple neighbors reported a loud party about 10:46 p.m., saying several teens were walking around. Two deputies had been dispatched at 11:45 p.m. but were diverted to another call, documents show. Deputies were dispatched when neighbors reported teens fighting in the street. More 911 calls were placed after shots were fired at about 12:24 a.m.
Four people were taken to local hospital with gunshot wounds, documents show. One male was dead and lying in the street. Another person later died at a local hospital from the gunshot wounds. The 17-year-old boy also reportedly was shot in the hip and buttocks.
Shell casings were scattered in the roadway. Several vehicles parked in the area were struck by bullets. Detectives noted that the garage door of a home had also been struck several times.
Detectives obtained surveillance video from the shooting, which allegedly showed a small group standing by a home and talking to one another. The 17-year-old was allegedly in the footage, and detectives say he pulled a handgun from his pocket, firing at the person in front of him. That was determined to be the boy who died at the hospital, documents show.
The shooter then fired at the second victim, who immediately fell to the ground, documents show. The footage allegedly showed the first victim pulling out a gun and firing back. The 17-year-old eventually ran into the home where the party was taking place. Footage also later showed him flagging down a patrol car for his injury.
Prosecutors wrote it is unclear if the 17-year-old fired any shots that struck the other injured people or if they were by the victim.
Detectives noted the shooter appeared to have an injury to the hip from the video footage, which they believe is consistent with the 17-year-old. Another video allegedly confirmed that the shooter was wearing the same type of clothes as the 17-year-old, documents show.
The 17-year-old was detained after he was treated at the hospital, documents show.
Detectives spoke to a 17-year-old girl who held the party at the home. Her mother was also at the home at the time but told detectives she did not see the shooting happen, documents show.
Documents show that additional counts of first-degree assault will be filed if the investigation finds that the 17-year-old fired the shots that injured the other party-goers.
