By Cathy Logg and Eric Stevick
Herald Writers
EVERETT — Fifteen-year-old Joshua Alan Lorbiecki loved sports, including football, and hoped to be play next year on the Everett High School team.
But he lost his chance Sunday when he died after being severely beaten and abandoned on the Evergreen Middle School athletic field.
Investigators have not determined who killed him, or why, but say his death does not appear to be a random crime, and other youths are not believed to be in danger.
Joshua died at Harborview Medical Center in Seattle, where he was airlifted after he was found unconscious Saturday by a witness at a nearby business who saw two youths standing over him, "shaking him and pulling at him." The Snohomish County Medical Examiner performed an autopsy on the boy Monday, but withheld results until at least this afternoon and possibly Wednesday.
Joshua attended Whittier Elementary School in north Everett from 1991 to 1996, said Gay Campbell, school district spokeswoman.
He attended Harbour Pointe Middle School in the Mukilteo School District and was a freshman at Kamiak High School last year.
Mukilteo School District records show he transferred back to the Everett School District effective June 20, the last day of school last year.
Joshua’s younger brother, Cameron, 11, attended Evergreen, and his sister, Krista, 12, attends Harbour Pointe. Cameron doesn’t plan to return to Evergreen.
"He said he can’t go where his brother was murdered," father Pat Lorbiecki said.
The father struggled Monday to control his voice in speaking about his elder son.
"He loved sports, camping. He was trying out for the football team this year. He hadn’t earned enough time to play. He liked basketball. He loved to cook — just about anything. He was pretty good at it, took great pride in it. He liked music — the young, stupid, foolish stuff of today, rap, hip-hop, whatever’s popular on KUBE," Pat Lorbiecki said.
"He’s never made mention of how he wanted to make his millions. He was very intelligent, very quick to pick things up," he said.
Joshua had had some run-ins with the law after he "got involved with the wrong group" in Mukilteo, his father said.
"We were trying to give him a fresh start. He came here and picked his grades back up. He was really taking an interest in getting his homework done."
His parents are separated. Joshua’s father last saw him when he stopped by the boy’s mother’s Everett home about 12:30 p.m. Saturday.
"We were wrestling. He picked me up over his head. Josh weighed 175. I’m pushing 190. It shocked me," he said.
Joshua had planned to go meet a friend. His mother, Kay Lorbiecki, called Pat Lorbiecki at his home in Mukilteo on Sunday morning, asking if Joshua had gone there to spend the night.
It was unlike Joshua not to call if he’d been delayed somewhere, his father said. He always carried bus fare and a phone card and called in.
"We knew he wasn’t a runaway, but what do you do?" he said.
The parents called the police, who came to talk to them about 7 p.m., and asked them to follow the officers to the police station. There they learned that Joshua had died about 5:30 p.m. Sunday. His parents identified his body.
Joshua’s mother wrote a statement about him:
"He’s home with God. No more pain. No more guilt. No more fear. No more tears. He’s a happier young man now than he’s ever been before. If anyone thinks that he has lost this battle, you’re all wrong. This is only the beginning. Josh has become the victor in this war and no one will be able to take this away."
Police say Joshua was seen walking with two young black males shortly before he was seen lying on the football field with two who fit the same description standing over him. The two reportedly fled when they realized several people in the area had seen them.
Investigators don’t know what motivated someone to attack Joshua.
"It’s too early for us to say anything about what it was," Everett Police Sgt. Boyd Bryant said.
Pat Lorbiecki is unaware of any enemies Joshua might have had.
Everett High School officials planned to have an emergency team of counselors at the school today, Principal Pat Sullivan said.
"We’ll have nine or 10 counselors available to help people with their anger or stress or grief that might result from this situation," he said.
The team will work with the school’s counselors to help students or staff members, he said.
You can call Herald Writer Cathy Logg at 425-339-3437
or send e-mail to logg@heraldnet.com.
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