MARYSVILLE — Nearly nine months after the deadly shootings at Marysville Pilchuck High School, detectives have completed their investigation, officials said Wednesday.
Investigators with the Snohomish County Multi-Agency Response Team are recommending no criminal charges related to the gunfire because the shooter is dead, spokeswoman Shari Ireton said.
Other details about what detectives learned regarding the Oct. 24 violence are contained in reports, which aren’t expected to become available until later under public records law. That may not start to happen until late August, shortly before the start of the school year.
“There’s never going to be a good time,” said Nancy Hawley, a mental health professional who has been working with students since the shootings.
The first day of school may be difficult for some students and a reminder of the trauma they suffered in October. At least when the investigation is released, the students will soon be returning to school where they’ll have support, said Hawley, who works for Victim Support Services.
She also said the investigation may squash rumors that have been circulating since the shootings.
“The one question it isn’t going to answer is, ‘Why?” Hawley said. “No one can get into (the shooter’s) head, and that’s going to be hard.”
Marysville police are reviewing the 2,233-page report, spokeswoman Bronlea Mishler said.
“No community should have to suffer this kind of loss,” Marysville Police Chief Rick Smith said. “Our focus is, and always has been, on preventing a tragedy like this from happening again. Our community and the families directly affected by this event are still healing, and it’s important for us to respect that fact as we move forward.”
Jaylen Fryberg, 15, opened fire inside one of the high school’s cafeterias and killed four students and seriously injured a fifth. The Tulalip boy then fatally shot himself.
His father, Raymond Fryberg Jr., 42, has been indicted by a federal grand jury on multiple counts of unlawful gun possession. Prosecutors allege that Raymond Fryberg acquired the .40-caliber Beretta his son brought to school, along with numerous other guns, despite a court order prohibiting him from owning any firearms. Fryberg is expected to be in U.S. District Court in Seattle on Thursday to answer to the charges. He has been allowed to remain free pending trial. He isn’t allowed to have any guns.
SMART is a cadre of homicide investigators pulled from police departments across Snohomish County. They are assigned high-profile investigations, most frequently cases involving police use of force.
Team members early on said their investigation of the school shootings would take time and may not answer every question about the tragedy.
Help available
Counseling and group sessions remain available to students at a downtown Marysville office. For more information, call 360-363-4611.
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