LAKE STEVENS – In the early-morning dark, just before sunrise Tuesday, a teenage boy allegedly forced his way into a home just north of Lake Stevens.
A few minutes later, he was shot.
Hidden in the dark, a 14-year-old girl – home alone after her parents went to work – heard noises. She called 911.
Snohomish County sheriff’s deputies raced to the scene and entered the home. They confronted and then shot the boy, 17, police said.
The Lake Stevens teenager was taken to a Seattle hospital, where he was listed in serious condition.
It all started about 5:15 a.m. with the phone call from the girl.
When sheriff’s deputies and a Lake Stevens police officer arrived, they could see the apparent prowler inside the house, located in the 4400 block of 123rd Avenue NE, Everett police Sgt. Robert Goetz said.
Deputies went in and a confrontation took place, Goetz said.
Two deputies fired shots at the teenager. No information was released about how many shots, or how many times the teen was struck.
Police would not say whether the teen had a weapon, citing the ongoing nature of their investigation.
The boy was taken to Harborview Medical Center in Seattle. On Tuesday afternoon, he was reported in serious and stable condition in the intensive care unit, said Susan Gregg-Hanson, a hospital spokeswoman.
Lake Stevens police have had contact with the boy before, Chief Randy Celori said. He declined to comment further.
The boy’s name has not been released.
No one else was hurt in the incident, Goetz said.
The two teenagers apparently didn’t know each other, he said.
Neighbors in the quiet, semi-rural neighborhood north of Lake Stevens were shaken by the violent incident.
“I’m scared,” Sandy Miller said. “It’s very frightening.”
There’s been a recent increase in burglaries in the area, neighbors said.
In January, Lake Stevens saw a spike in burglaries with 17 reported, Celori said.
On average, Lake Stevens police investigate about six burglaries a month, he said.
For much of the day, police blocked traffic on 123rd Avenue NE.
The Snohomish County Multi-Agency Response Team, a special team of detectives called in when officers are involved a shooting, was investigating.
The team, composed of representatives from different police departments around the county, will help prosecutors determine whether the deputies used appropriate force.
The deputies involved in the shooting have been placed on administrative leave pending an investigation, which is standard procedure, Goetz said.
Both deputies have been with the sheriff’s office for four years, he said.
The girl who called police is a student at North Lake Middle School, Lake Stevens School District spokeswoman Arlene Hulten said.
Hulten could not confirm whether the girl went to school today or how she was doing. She did say the district would help the family, if necessary.
“With any student that was involved in a traumatic situation, we’d work with the student and the family to provide support and counseling services as needed,” she said.
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