A judge on Wednesday ordered a 14-year-old boy arrested in a fatal shooting at a Seattle high school to remain in custody pending a charging decision by prosecutors.
A 15-year-old boy who police say was with him when he was arrested and had a handgun in his backpack — possibly the weapon used in the shooting — was also ordered detained.
Both boys had initial court appearances Wednesday, one day after the shooting at Ingraham High School left a student dead.
While the 14-year-old boy waived his right to appear in court, the second boy walked into the courtroom at the Children and Family Justice Center in Seattle wearing a bright yellow sweatshirt and dark pants. His father, near tears, spoke in his defense.
"We just moved up here," from Auburn, Washington, the father said. "He obviously got with the wrong people. He's never been in trouble before. This is not like him at all."
Police arrested the pair on a public bus about an hour after the shooting.
Judge Averil Rothrock, of the Juvenile Division of King County Superior Court, found probable cause to detain the 14-year-old for investigation of first-degree murder, unlawful possession of a gun and possession of a dangerous weapon at school.
Rothrock found probable cause to detain the 15-year-old for unlawful possession of a firearm as well as rendering criminal assistance.
The Associated Press and KNKX are not naming the boys because of their age and because they have not yet been charged.
The King County prosecutor's office said it cannot file charges before it receives additional documentation from the Seattle Police Department. The deadline for filing charges is Monday.
No previous cases for the 14-year-old nor the 15-year-old have been referred to the King County prosecutor, spokesman Casey McNerthney said Wednesday.
Authorities have not released the name of the student killed Tuesday. Superintendent Brent Jones said the shooting seemed to be a “targeted attack." Multiple students witnessed the shooting, police said.
Classes at Ingraham were canceled Wednesday. Other nearby schools had modified lockdowns all day, with a heavy police presence and afterschool events canceled.
According to the K-12 School Shooting Database, an independent, nonpartisan research project, there have been 272 gun-related incidents at U.S. schools this year, including cases where a gun is brandished, shot or a bullet hits school property. Those include the May 24 shooting at Robb Elementary School in Uvalde, Texas, that killed the 19 children and two adults.
