Mom wants justice for son, cousin shot outside Everett apartment complex
Mother wants justice after son, cousin shot in Everett
Everett police have arrested a suspect after an 11-year-old and 17-year-old boy were injured in a gang-related shooting in Everett Monday night.
EVERETT, Wash. - An 11-year-old is fighting for his life after a shooting in Everett and police believe they have the person who pulled the trigger in custody. A 17-year-old was also hit.
Police say the suspect, a 20-year-old man, opened fire on the group, who were allegedly putting graffiti on the side of a building.
It happened at an apartment complex in Everett off of 21st Drive Southeast on Monday night at around 6:30 p.m.
The Snohomish County Sheriff's Office says the shooting appears to be gang-related because of the nature of the graffiti.
The 17-year-old victim's mom says her son, TJ, told her he was going for a walk around the complex, as he did most nights, and five minutes later, he and a cousin had been shot.
"We just arrived home from the store," said the mom of the 17-year-old. "They walked outside and said they were going to walk around the apartment complex like normal, and not even five minutes later we heard gunshots."
The mom says the other boy who was shot in the head is also a family member.
"The 11-year-old victim is my cousin," she said.
She says the boys did not know the shooter, who was accused of pulling up on a scooter before opening fire.
"He was on a moped, a motorized scooter…and him and my cousin tried to run and they were hit before they knew it," said the mom.
She says the two collapsed near a building, which is covered in graffiti.
"My son first thought he got hit in the head, because all he kept feeling was fire something was burning. My cousin, all I heard was him screaming for help," said the mom.
The 11-year-old was flown to Harborview with critical injuries, her son was treated at Providence and released.
Two boys shot in suspected gang-related incident in Everett, WA
An 11-year-old and a 17-year-old are recovering after a shooting in Everett on Monday that detectives believe was gang-related.
"It penetrated through the bottom of the jaw out to the other side," said the mom of the 17-year-old.
The sheriff's office says deputies arrested the accused shooter about two miles away near 37th Drive Southeast.
"He took off on foot, threw the gun, said Renee Cooper, Snohomish County Sheriff’s Office spokesperson.
The sheriff's office says detectives initially believed the victims were in a group that was spray-painting graffiti on a building when the suspect approached.
"Saw a group of teenagers graffiting on a building. There was believed to be a verbal altercation between the two, and he shot them," said Cooper.
The 17-year-old victim's mom disputes any claims the boys were part of any spray-painting of graffiti, saying they were shot near the street, and then ran towards the graffitied area to escape.
"We just want justice, that’s it, we want him to get put away, they are innocent, they didn’t do anything," said the mom.
FOX 13 reached out to the Snohomish County Sheriff's Office on Tuesday night for clarification based on the mom's statements.
Spokesperson Courtney O'Keefe sent a statement back Tuesday night, saying, "Detectives are still working out the exact details of the altercation. However, we received reports of the graffiti occurring and when deputies arrived the paint was still wet, and it was crossing out one gang’s name/sign and was writing over it with another gang sign."
The sheriff's office says that the suspect was also known to law enforcement. He was booked into the Snohomish County Jail for assault.
The Source: Information in this story came from the Snohomish County Sheriff's Office and original FOX 13 Seattle reporting and interviews.
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