Boy Shot at School Still in Hospital; Another Arrested

By The News Tribune, Tacoma, Wash.

Jul. 29–A 14-year-old boy remained in serious condition Monday after being shot Saturday in what appears to be a drug deal gone bad, the Pierce County Sheriff’s Department reported.

The boy was taken to Mary Bridge Children’s Hospital and Health Center, where he was undergoing treatment for a gunshot wound to the back, Pierce County sheriff’s spokesman Ed Troyer said Monday.

No one has been arrested in the shooting.

“We’ve got young people with guns, and it’s going sideways on school lots,” Troyer said. “That’s not acceptable.”

According to deputies, the boy and two others went to Harvard Elementary School, 1709 85th St. E., just before 4:30 p.m.

“Tentatively, we believe they were trying to get some drugs,” Troyer said.

The three ran away when shots were fired, but the 14-year-old was struck in the back as he fled.

He got into a friend’s car and she drove him to a nearby grocery store, where paramedics were called. The girl and a 17-year-old boy with the victim tried to walk away but were stopped by a bystander, Troyer said. Investigators interviewed the two and arrested the boy on suspicion of being a felon in possession of a firearm.

Troyer said investigators found some marijuana on the younger boy.

Stacey Mulick, The News Tribune

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