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Washington school gunman was Homecoming prince, students say

A student recently crowned freshman class homecoming prince opened fire inside a high school cafeteria Friday near Seattle, killing one student and injuring at least four others before taking his own life, officials said.

In Marysville, Wash., reunited students and parents wait at a church. Four other students were wounded. He "was just staring down every one of his victims as he shot them," said a student.
In Marysville, Wash., reunited students and parents wait at a church. Four other students were wounded. He "was just staring down every one of his victims as he shot them," said a student.Read moreTED S. WARREN / AP

A student recently crowned freshman class homecoming prince opened fire inside a high school cafeteria Friday near Seattle, killing one student and injuring at least four others before taking his own life, officials said.

Police confirmed Friday afternoon that a female student died in the late Friday morning shooting at Marysville-Pilchuck High School. The gunman was identified as Jaylen Fryberg by a government official with direct knowledge of the shooting. The official spoke to the Associated Press on condition of anonymity because he was not authorized to address the media.

Three of the victims had head wounds and were in critical condition. Two unidentified young women were at Providence Everett Medical Center, and 15-year-old Andrew Fryberg was at Harborview Medical Center in Seattle, hospital officials said.

Another victim, 14-year-old Nate Hatch, was listed in serious condition at Harborview, the hospital said. Family members told KIRO-TV that Andrew Fryberg and Hatch are cousins of Jaylen Fryberg.

Students and parents said Fryberg was a freshman who played on the school football team. Authorities are confident he was acting alone, said Robb Lamoureux, a commander with the Marysville, Wash., Police Department.

Shaylee Bass, 15, a sophomore at the school, said Fryberg had recently gotten into a fight with another boy over a girl.

"He was very upset about that," said Bass, who was shocked by the shooting.

The Seattle Times reported that two other students said they were outside of the cafeteria when they heard the gunshots and ran into a classroom full of students. "Everybody in the classroom was just freaking out crying," freshman Brandon Carr said, the newspaper reported. The Times also reported that the cafeteria exits were packed as students rushed out, away from gunfire.

"Everyone just started running. I could hear the gunshots and my heart was racing and we didn't know what was going on," said student Adam Holston, according to the Times.

The school, about 45 minutes north of Seattle, was locked down after the gunshots in the building, the school district said. By Friday afternoon, police had secured the school campus and were busy interviewing about 30 witnesses, including students and staff, Lamoureux said.

Witnesses described the gunman as methodical.

Brian Patrick said his daughter, a freshman, was 10 feet from the gunman when the shooting occurred. She ran from the cafeteria and called her mother.

Patrick said his daughter told him, "The guy walked into the cafeteria, pulled out a gun, and started shooting. No arguing, no yelling."

Student Alan Perez was eating his lunch at a nearby table when he heard the gunshots.

"He had a little gun in his hand," Perez told KING-TV. "I saw the flash from the muzzle."

Another student, Austin Taylor, told the station that the shooter "was just staring down every one of his victims as he shot them."

Senior Jayden Eugenio, 17, was in the library when a fire alarm went off. Someone came on the intercom and said that shots had been fired and that students should stay inside.

"I was shaking," he said. "You would never believe this would happen in your school."

Outside the school, students started streaming out of the building, some trying to jump a fence to get away, witnesses said.

Cedar Parker, a 17-year-old senior, said he was driving away from campus when the shooting happened. He let several students into his car as he heard others yelling for their friends: "Where are you?"

A crowd of parents waited in a parking lot outside a nearby church, where they were being reunited with their children. Buses pulled up periodically to drop off students evacuated from the school, with some running to hug their mothers or fathers.

Marysville-Pilchuck High School has many students from the Tulalip Indian Nation. State Sen. John McCoy, a tribal member, said the shooting had devastated the community.

Ron Iukes, a youth counselor with the tribe, said Fryberg was from a well-known tribal family.

"They're real good people, very loving, a big part of the community," he said. "Jaylen was one of our good kids. . . . I've known this boy since he was a baby. It's just devastating."