MARYSVILLE — They’re looking for answers about why a classmate shot their children in hopes of preventing others from knowing their grief.
Family members of the four teens shot and killed last year at Marysville Pilchuck High School, as well as another teen who survived a gunshot to the face, are working with a well-known trial attorney. Ann Deutscher said she’s been seeking school district records as she awaits the release of documents from the police investigation.
“They just want to find out what’s true,” Deutscher said of the families. “In the end, they would all say that they need to know what happened and how it happened.”
Killed on Oct. 24, 2014 were 14-year-olds Zoe Galasso, Shaylee Chuckulnaskit and Gia Soriano, as well as Andrew Fryberg, 15. Nate Hatch, then 14, is the only surviving victim. Deutscher said she is representing one or both parents for all five.
The 15-year-old shooter, Jaylen Fryberg, turned the gun on himself and committed suicide immediately after targeting his friends, who he’d asked to meet him at a cafeteria table. Andrew and Nate were Jaylen’s cousins.
Zoe died at the scene. Shaylee, Gia and Andrew died at area hospitals. Nate has had a tough recovery.
“He will have to undergo a series of surgeries — he’s still growing — in order to reconstruct portions of his face and chin,” Deutscher said. “He has a long road to go and he will be seeing this event in the mirror for the rest of his life.”
The families are grateful for relatives, friends and strangers who have supported them during the past 10 months, she said.
Family members have yet to file any damage claims but a lawsuit appears likely. Deutscher said she plans to conduct a thorough investigation first. She’s been frustrated by the Marysville School District’s slow response to her requests for copies of district policies about discipline and bullying.
“I don’t think that a kid walks into a cafeteria and shoots five of his best friends in the head without giving warning signs,” Deutscher said. “I might be naive, but I don’t think so. I think that’s common sense. I think common sense dictates that we look at what happened with Jaylen in the days, weeks and months leading up to this shooting.”
Jaylen was on the freshman football team and served as a homecoming prince the week before the killings. He was suspended earlier in October for a fight with another football player that allegedly was sparked by a racist remark.
The school district late Monday disputed Deutscher’s claim that it had failed to provide her with the information she’s seeking.
“We have met all legal requirements under the state Public Records Act,” said Craig Degginger, director of communications and community relations for Marysville schools. “Ms. Deutscher has declined requests by our attorneys to clarify her broad request. We had no idea until today that her request has anything to do with her representation of these families or the Marysville Pilchuck tragedy.”
Deutscher works for the Kent-based firm Dore Deutscher and has been involved in two other high-profile lawsuits against the Marysville School District. She reached an $800,000 settlement in the case of Keito Swan, a Marysville Pilchuck student hit by a school bus in 2005. She’s also representing one of two Marysville Getchell students injured in a 2011 car crash that killed a classmate as they left school before cross-country practice. That suit is pending.
Noah Haglund: 425-339-3465, nhaglund@heraldnet.com. Twitter: @NWhaglund.
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