Mom wants justice for son, cousin shot outside Everett apartment complex
The Brief
An 11-year-old and a 17-year-old were shot in Everett, and the suspect is in custody.
The shooting, believed to be gang-related, occurred during an alleged graffiti incident.
Detectives are investigating the details, adding the suspect was arrested nearby and is known to police.
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.
"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.
Bodies of 3 missing Wenatchee, WA girls found, father wanted for murder
Who is Travis Decker? What to know about the Wenatchee, WA father wanted for murder
What we know about Decker girls, 3 missing WA sisters found dead
'I am in a lot of pain': Lakewood, WA mass shooting survivors being released from hospitals
'Belltown Hellcat' Miles Hudson back in court
WATCH: TikTok video of woman digging for geoduck in WA goes viral
'Shut your legs' comment, rating female staff: Snoqualmie Police Chief fired after probe
Washington state named 'sanctuary jurisdiction' by Trump admin, 35 of 39 counties listed
WA beekeeper working to save millions of bees involved in crash in Whatcom County
FBI scrutiny puts pressure on Seattle mayor after protest clash
To get the best local news, weather and sports in Seattle for free, sign up for the daily FOX Seattle Newsletter.
Download the free FOX LOCAL app for mobile in the Apple App Store or Google Play Store for live Seattle news, top stories, weather updates and more local and national news.
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
News24
23 minutes ago
- News24
Another Diddy ex testifies to ‘obligation' in coerced, choreographed sexual encounters
A key witness, 'Jane,' has provided graphic testimony in the federal trial of Sean 'Diddy' Combs, alleging coercive sexual encounters. Combs allegedly orchestrated disturbing acts involving multiple women, with testimony also backing claims made by ex-girlfriend Casandra Ventura. The trial has featured intense courtroom moments, including accusations of witness manipulation by Combs and shocking allegations from witnesses about violent and exploitative behaviour. A key witness took the stand in the federal trial of Sean 'Diddy' Combs Thursday, giving graphic detail of choreographed sexual encounters with the music mogul that were allegedly coercive, testimony that's core to the prosecution's case. The woman, who is speaking in court under the pseudonym Jane, began delivering testimony that is expected to last for days and which so far mirrors descriptions provided by another marquee witness against Combs, his ex-girlfriend Casandra 'Cassie' Ventura. Combs, 55, faces upwards of life in prison if convicted of racketeering and sex trafficking crimes. Both Jane and Ventura are key witnesses to the latter charges. Jane took the stand after some courtroom drama: the judge threatened to remove Combs after he was 'looking at jurors and nodding vigorously' while a different witness testified. Calling Combs's behaviour 'absolutely unacceptable,' Judge Arun Subramanian said, 'It cannot happen again.' READ | 'Sometimes I scream in my sleep': Witness claims Diddy dangled her from 17th-story balcony Communications between a defendant and a jury are strictly prohibited. The court had been hearing testimony from Bryana Bongolan, a friend of Ventura's who had alleged that Combs dangled her from a 17th-story balcony before throwing her against furniture. Combs's gestures to the jury took place as Bongolan was under tense questioning from his defence team, who sought to cast her as an unreliable witness who abused drugs. 'Hotel nights' Jane's testimony was highly anticipated: she began by detailing how she had met Combs through a friend who was dating him at the time. But he came on strongly to Jane, she said, and when her friend got engaged to someone else, she began seeing Combs romantically. Their relationship began in earnest during a whirlwind five-day date at a Miami hotel, she said, describing Combs - as many others during the trial have - as 'larger than life.' READ MORE | Hush money bombshell: Hotel worker testifies Diddy paid to bury Cassie assault video 'I was pretty head over heels for Sean,' she told jurors. Several heady months followed, including a romantic trip to Turks and Caicos and the Bahamas in February 2021. She said Combs first gave her illicit drugs on that trip. When the vacation ended, he wired her $10 000 because she had been unable to work - at the time, she was creating content for brands on social media - and was a single mother. Jane silently collected herself and held her face in a tissue as she described how her blissful early days with Combs took a sharp turn in May 2021 when he began talking about his fantasies of seeing her with other men. She acquiesced because she wanted to make Combs happy, she said, and to her surprise, he arranged for another man she dubbed Don to meet them at a hotel that very night. AFP Jane thought the experience was a one-time thing, but she said instead, it became 'a door I was unable to shut.' The 'hotel nights' became a regular feature of their relationship, Jane told jurors, even when she said she didn't want it. 'He was just dismissive,' she said, saying that approximately 90 percent of their relationship became a pattern of her having sex with other men under Combs's direction. Full-time job Jane's descriptions of the 'hotel nights' - her provocative attire that Combs requested, red mood lighting, heavy drug use and copious baby oil - closely tracked with the testimony that Ventura gave on the stand of what she called 'freak-offs.' Jane said that the amount of time she spent getting ready for hotel nights with Combs, which he demanded at a moment's notice and sometimes flew her to, meant she did not work. Money from Combs and child support from her previous relationship were essentially her only income, she said. That testimony echoed Ventura's, who had said her freak-offs with Combs came to feel like a full-time job. Combs put Jane up in a home in Los Angeles for $10 000 a month, she said, and when she spoke against hotel nights, he would bring up that point. ALSO READ | 'You post the great times': Witness asked to defend Instagram posts in Sean Combs trial 'My feeling of obligation really started to stem from the fact that my partner was paying my rent,' she said. Jane told jurors their relationship continued up until Combs's arrest in September 2024. Prosecutors say he ran a criminal enterprise of high-ranking employees and bodyguards who enforced his power with illicit acts, including kidnapping, bribery and arson. Along with Ventura and Jane, witnesses have included former employees of Bad Boy Enterprises, Combs's company. Jane's testimony will continue on Friday. The trial is expected to last at least another month.
CNN
28 minutes ago
- CNN
Venezuelans in Florida react to Trump's new travel ban
President Donald Trump signed a proclamation to ban travel from several countries to the US, citing security risks, with one of the countries being Venezuela. Venezuelans in Florida reacted to the ban, with one worrying about their visa.
CNN
28 minutes ago
- CNN
Laura Coates explains what happened in court when judge admonished Combs
Judge Arun Subramanian warned the defense that Sean 'Diddy' Combs could be excluded from the courtroom if he continues to attempt to interact with the jury. The judge said he saw Combs on two different occasions during Bryana Bongolan's testimony, looking at the jury and 'nodding vigorously." Combs' defense attorney told the judge it wouldn't happen again. CNN's Laura Coates reports.
