LYNNWOOD, Wash. — Police recognized the sufferer of Wednesday’s capturing at Alderwood Mall in Lynnwood as 13-year-old Jayda Woods-Johnson.
Investigators imagine Woods-Johnson was an harmless bystander who was shot after a combat between two teams within the mall’s meals courtroom escalated to gunfire.
“Our coronary heart is, in fact, with this sufferer who was shot and had nothing to do with the altercation and the rest,” mentioned Deputy Chief Patrick Fagan of the Lynnwood Police Division.
RELATED: Teenage woman fatally shot throughout altercation at Alderwood mall
The capturing suspect initially fled the scene earlier than officers arrived, though Lynnwood police mentioned the 16-year-old boy’s mom turned him into authorities late Wednesday evening. Police mentioned the boy was being held on suspicion of homicide. He could make his first courtroom look on Friday.
“We simply seen the man pull out a gun and take a shot. It’s loopy to expertise one thing like this, mentioned Kai Ahumada, a witness to the capturing.
Lynnwood Mayor Christine Frizzell addressed the incident in an announcement, calling it a ‘horrible tragedy.’
“My coronary heart breaks for the household of this younger woman killed by a mindless act of violence. I grieve for her household as they try to return to grips with the lack of their daughter. Nobody ought to must undergo this sorrow; the journey forward for all who know this younger woman shall be troublesome, and they’re going to stay in my ideas and prayers,” Frizzell’s assertion learn. “Our mall and the encircling areas, our metropolis parks, and our neighborhoods should stay secure and welcoming gathering locations for our group members. We should come collectively and take a stand towards these acts of mindless violence.”
Indicators on the doorways mentioned the Alderwood Mall was closed Thursday for the Fourth of July vacation, although some companies across the mall remained open.
“All people is form of scared as a result of it’s not as secure as they thought it was,” mentioned Byron Otarola, who works at a automotive detailing enterprise on the mall.
