Police: Shooting near Providence hospital was accidental

Published 1:30 am Wednesday, September 13, 2017

EVERETT — A shooting that put Providence Regional Medical Center’s Colby campus on lockdown Tuesday appears to be accidental, police say.

Three teenage boys — ages 16, 17 and 19 — had driven to the hospital to visit a friend, a 17-year-old boy who was shot Monday night on W. Casino Road, said Everett police Sgt. Maryjane Hacker. After the visit, they walked across the street to their car.

The youngest boy picked up a stolen handgun that was in the car, Hacker said. The gun went off. A bullet went through the driver’s seat and lodged into the 19-year-old’s back.

“They got scared and they ran, and ditched the handgun into some bushes,” Hacker said.

The injured man was rushed into surgery and was listed in good condition Tuesday night.

The two other boys later talked with detectives and told them where the gun was hidden. No arrests have been made.