On October 25, in a shocking incident reported from Fall City, King County, Washington, a 15-year-old boy has been accused of shooting and killing his parents and siblings. He faces five counts of first-degree murder and one count of attempted first-degree murder.
According to information from the King County Prosecutor’s Office and reports from media outlets such as the Seattle Times, the tragic shooting occurred early on the morning of October 21 at a residential home in southern Fall City, resulting in five fatalities and leaving one person injured. The victims include 43-year-old Mark Humiston and his 42-year-old wife, Sarah, along with their three children: 7-year-old Catherine, 9-year-old Joshua, and 13-year-old Benjamin. The sole survivor, an 11-year-old girl, managed to escape after being shot.
On October 24, the King County Prosecutor’s Office formally charged the 15-year-old suspect with five counts of first-degree murder and one count of attempted first-degree murder. Local media, referencing court documents filed in King County Superior Court, reported that on the day of the incident, the suspect called 911, claiming that his 13-year-old brother had shot the family and then killed himself. However, a neighbor reported a different story; the injured 11-year-old girl ran to their door, frantically ringing the bell and stating that her family had been shot by her 15-year-old brother. This brave girl, wounded, had played dead to escape through a window and witnessed her brother checking for signs of life among the victims.
Court documents indicate that the suspect used a Glock handgun typically locked away by their father. While the 13-year-old had a gunshot wound to the head and was found with the firearm on his chest, medical examiners confirmed he was shot from a distance of two feet. Police suggest that the suspect staged the scene to make it appear as though his brother was the shooter. The motive behind this horrific act has not yet been established, but investigators discovered that the suspect had been struggling academically, having failed multiple exams at school.
So far this year, the “Gun Violence Archive” reports that more than 13,800 people have lost their lives to various forms of gun violence in the United States as of October 25.
