New security cameras planned at Chief Sealth HS after student was killed off campus
SEATTLE - Chief Sealth International High School is planning new security cameras around campus following the death of 15-year-old Mobarak Adam, who was shot at killed at a nearby community center campus.
Family members say Mobarak left the high school and walked over to the nearby Southwest Recreation complex two months ago where he was later found in the bathroom with a gunshot wound.
"He was very funny, he was friendly and outgoing," said Leyla Adam, his older sister.
She has fond memories of her late brother's time as a freshman at Chief Sealth High School. She said he loved to tease her about his grades.
"He was also very studious. He always loved to brag about how he had straight A’s," said Leyla.
She believes Mobarak may have left school during second lunch or fourth period, possibly with friends, the day he was killed. She says very soon after he left school, he was found shot to death in a bathroom near the entrance of the Southwest Recreation Complex where she says he regularly spent time playing basketball when he wasn't in class.
"It’s not like something that you would ever think would happen, which goes into disbelief," said Leyla. "What happened in the bathroom? Because, as of now, we don’t know what happened in the bathroom."
Chief Sealth International High School
Although the shooting didn't happen in the school, Seattle Public Schools (SPS) says security changes are underway both inside the Chief Sealth International High School and nearby Denny International Middle School as part of an enhanced safety plan.
A spokesperson for SPS says the cameras and security system are getting an upgrade and planned campus safety team meetings are scheduled. SPS is also considering the possible installation of exit door alarms.
The full plan includes:
- Upgrading the camera systems within the schools to further bolster security. While the current interior cameras are of good quality, we are making improvements to ensure even better monitoring and surveillance capabilities.
- Regularly meeting with the Campus Safety Team. These meetings, comprised of school leaders, Parks and Recreation leaders, and other key partners, serve as a platform to review and reinforce communication strategies, as well as strengthen partnerships aimed at enhancing student safety both within and around campus premises.
- Exploring the implementation of exit alarms on doors. This proactive measure is part of our efforts to maintain secure building environments.
Leyla says Chief Sealth has several exits on the sprawling campus, and if those changes had already been in place, it might have helped to identify who Mobarak was with when he left school that day.
"I think it could have helped in seeing who he had gone out with," said Adam.
Leyla says the people who he was with had reportedly refused to talk with police. The family is fundraising online to hire a private investigator to help get answers. She says the investigation has stalled.
"At the end of the day we want to know what happened to my brother, why and how it happened," said Leyla. She is pictured below.
The community center where Mobarak was killed is operated by Seattle Parks and Recreation. A spokesperson there told FOX 13 last week that the security cameras inside the recreation center were not working at the time of the shooting. Since that time, a new camera system has also been installed at the community center and the spokesperson for Seattle Parks and Recreation stated that it should be fully operational by the end of the month.
