Who killed Amarr Murphy-Paine? Arrest yet to be made in Seattle murder

SEATTLE - On June 6, Garfield High School student Amarr Murphy-Paine was gunned down right on the front steps of the school, trying to break up a fight between two others. Nearly six months later, the shooter remains unidentified.

The shooting was caught on video. However, police say that's not enough to charge a suspect. Deputy Chief Eric Barden says a witness needs to come forward and identify the suspect, and a number of people saw the incident.

"This is an active investigation with many leads being followed. But an eyewitness who can ID the suspect would expedite the investigation," Barden said via text.

"If Amarr was on the other end, and he knew something, and I knew this kid, and I cared about this family and all that type of stuff, I would walk my son into the Seattle Police Department, and I would have him tell those police whatever that needs to be said," said Arron Murphy-Paine.

Amarr grew up playing football. When he was injured his freshman year, Amarr's dad, Arron, bought him a home recording studio.

"Because he was losing his identity because he didn’t have football anymore," Arron said.

His music was just starting to take off, with the high school band even performing one of his songs.

Amarr was also named student of the month at Garfield, twice. He was planning to play football again this year.

"He was just going back to the weight room. That morning he left, I said, ‘Well, okay, look at you.’ His muscles were showing. He was like, ‘Yeah, you know.’ So he was locking back in with football and I believe he was going to have a phenomenal senior season," Arron said.

He says Amarr was the glue in their family, a star from the day he was born. Arron wants to be strong and brave like his son was, but it's hard.

"They killed my baby," said Arron. "He never hurt nobody. He never even got in trouble at school."

He wants to be part of the solution, a catalyst for somebody to come forward and help get justice for his son. 

Arron's heartbreak is being felt by more and more families when it comes to teens killing teens.

"Your kid is navigating a city that kids are getting murdered in, and they’re not solving it. They’re not even trying if you ask me," Arron said.

In 2023, juvenile murder suspects in Washington state had about a 25% chance of getting away with it, one out of every four cases. But back in 2019, there was only a 5% chance a suspected kid killer would escape justice.

After Amarr's murder, there were speeches and outrage.

"This is not the first shooting at Garfield and these kids deserve better," said Seattle Mayor Bruce Harrell.

Arron grew up in the Central District and coached football for years at Garfield. Knowing that the suspect is high school-aged, or if he went to school with his parents, leaves him with a gnawing feeling that the killer could be right in front of him.

"I'm a Bulldog, too. It just seems like the most unlikely of cases that would go unsolved when it was on video. It seems like a lot of people knew each other," he said.

Amarr's mom, Sherrica Walker-Mcall, provided a statement, signed, "from a heavyhearted grieving mother:"

"On December 30th, 2006, a star was born with great purpose. Amarr A'Shawn Murphy-Paine was a sweet, kind, smart, and energetic child. He grew into a sweet, funny, handsome, hardworking, kind, and smooth young man. He was full of potential and his family, friends, teachers, coaches, and so many more got to witness. As his mom, I am so proud of him, and would tell him this quite often.  I was proud of how big and strong he was, but also nervous that someone would see him as a threat and harm him, and that horrible day has come and gone. I never could have imagined this pain and great loss. I wouldn't wish this pain and heartache on anyone in the world. It is still hard for me to process that my handsome and gentle son is no longer with us. So with that being said, I am asking you to please come forward if you have any information about the whereabouts of my son’s killer who murdered him during school hours at lunch on June 6, 2024 at Garfield High School.

Please help our family get justice for this horrible tragedy that has happened. My son was at school where he was supposed to be and this should've never happened. Just like Amarr stood up for justice that day, who will stand up for him now? I beg of you, to hear a mother’s cry for her only child to get some justice. Nothing will bring my son back but it will help our family and community heal, especially knowing that his killer is no longer a threat to public safety."

Despite dealing with the tragic death of his son, Arron went to rehab and strengthened his faith in god.

"He wouldn't want me to go continue to keep getting high, keep getting drunk, keep clouding my mind with those thoughts. He would want me to battle those," Arron said.

Now, Arron says every day is a reset, putting his faith before fear.

"We're going to get the justice. We're going to show the people that it can happen, and then we're going to grow from there," Arron said.

A cash reward of $3,000 is being offered for any information that leads to an arrest and charge in the case: $1,000 from Amarr's grandmother, $1,000 from Crime Stoppers, and $1,000 from David Rose.

You can submit a tip through the P3 Tips app on your phone, or call 1-800-222-TIPS (8477).

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