Community reacts to Sunday violence at church parking lot

SNOHOMISH COUNTY, Wash. - The shock hasn’t started wearing off after a shooting in a church parking lot in Snohomish County.

The Snohomish County Sheriff’s Office is investigating the shooting that injured two teenage males on Sunday night.

Detectives learned the victims were sitting in a vehicle when the two male suspects approached them. An argument escalated into a shooting and the suspects fled in a vehicle, according to SCSO.

The teen victims are only 17 and 18-years-old. Deputies said the incident was not associated with Gold Creek Community Church, where the shooting occurred in the parking lot.

“My bedroom window actually looks into the parking lot so we see a lot of activity over there,” said neighbor Hannah Anderson. “When it first started, it looked like they were chasing somebody in the parking lot. So I don’t know if they were chasing who they thought was the shooter. There were a lot of erratic movements.”

Anderson said the church parking lot has become a popular loitering destination in recent months.

In a shared email sent to its members on members, Gold Creek Community Church and the Senior Executive Pastor said in part, “Our hearts go out to the victims of this act of violence and to their families. At this time, there is no known association between the victims or suspects and Gold Creek.”

“I guess it’s always a concern when there’s something, especially at a church parking lot, when we have a lot of community activities, and things like that are going on,” said a neighbor Russ.

This is an active investigation. If you have any information related to this incident, email Courtney O’Keefe who is the Director of Communications at the Snohomish County Sheriff’s Office.