SEATTLE — A teen inmate who was helping fight fires near Chelan is recovering in a Seattle hospital after escaping from a fire camp and then shooting himself.
Officials from the Chelan County sheriff’s office told KOMO-TV that the 16-year-old from the Naselle Youth Camp assaulted a guard Friday night and escaped. He was found Saturday morning near Chelan Falls. When deputies approached him, he started running.
Dave Helvey from the sheriff’s office says that when he stopped running, he turned to the deputies and pulled a small handgun from his bag. He placed the gun to his head, spoke briefly to deputies and then pulled the trigger.
The teen was transported to Harborview Medical Center with an injury that does not appear to be life-threatening.
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