Teen survives random drive-by shooting in Tacoma
Teen survives random drive-by shooting in Tacoma
The teen's father tells us his son was driving near Point Ruston in Tacoma on Monday night when out of nowhere someone passed him on the left and opened fire.
TACOMA, Wash. - Dash camera video captured the moment a 17 year old narrowly avoided getting shot in Tacoma.
The teen's father tells us his son was driving near Point Ruston in Tacoma on Monday night when out of nowhere someone passed him on the left and opened fire.
The gunfire left behind a large bullet hole, about the size of a golf ball.
What they're saying:
The teen didn't want to go on camera, but told us he was fearful of driving after this happened. His dad says the family always spends time along the waterfront.
He was shocked such a random act of violence happened at one of their favorite spots.
You can hear on dashcam video, the sound of a gunman firing on Kaeden,17, from a car as the teen drove near the waterfront in Tacoma. Damage to the interior from the shooting can be seen in the picture below.
Kaeden's dad, Kevin, showed us where the bullet tore into the frame.
"When they passed by, it came through back here," said Kevin, pointing to the bullet hole.
Kevin Wright says the ordeal started after the newly licensed 17 year old got done studying for his college courses and decided to head to the Fife Wendy's drive-through on a fast food run.
"He loves Wendy’s," said Kevin, Kaeden's dad.
After getting nuggets and fries and other items, Kaeden was heading to Point Ruston. Dashcam video showed him singing as he drove. A light-colored sedan suddenly came up, passing on the left, and without warning, a shot rang out.
Kaeden says his ears rang and he could smell gunpowder.
"He said in between there, his ears were ringing and he kind of squatted down, and he just said ‘What was that?’," said Kevin.
After pulling over and seeing the bullet hole, he called home.
"He called me and said hey I was just shot at," said Kevin. "The dad in me, freaked out I said, ‘get back in the car.’"
Kevin says his son is focused on college and has no enemies.
"To me, it’s senseless violence, and I’m thankful that, you know, my son, he’s safe, he’s alright," said Kevin Wright, Kaeden’s dad.
Police hope to recover the bullet, still lodged in the CRV.
"It hit the top and the bullet is somewhere in the chamber up there," said Kevin. A bump in the roof shows where the bullet slowed or came to a stop.
Although Kevin patched the hole with duct tape, repairing his son's trust in others will take more time.
"He hasn’t driven since. He doesn’t want to go on any night drives. He's very traumatized by it, and now for me, it’s just about making the public aware and making sure they don’t kill somebody," said Kevin Wright, Kaeden’s dad.
What's next:
The family will be taking the CRV in to the repair shop in the coming days. If the side airbag was damaged, Kevin says it may have to be totaled.
FOX 13 Seattle reached out to the Tacoma Police Department. A spokesperson says there have been no suspects or arrests and the case is considered active at this time.
The Source: Information in this story came from
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