EVERETT — A 15-year-old boy was seriously injured during a shooting in the quiet Rucker Hill neighborhood early Saturday.
Crowds of people attended a party at a Colonial-style brick mansion on 35th Street. The property is owned by a Monroe-based developer who plans to build eight more homes on the lot.
Police believe the party drew unwanted guests, spurring an altercation. The boy was assaulted outside shortly after midnight, Everett police officer Aaron Snell said.
A woman who reportedly witnessed the shooting spoke only on the condition her name not be published. She said she was awakened by gunshots. She saw someone standing underneath the glow of a street light outside. His arms were stretched out holding a gun. More shots rang out, she said.
The teen was struck multiple times while at the corner of 35th Street and Kromer Avenue.
Police believe whoever was responsible for the shooting then drove away.
The boy was taken to a local hospital, and later transferred to Harborview Medical Center in Seattle.
Detectives spoke with guests at the party looking for information about what had happened. Many were not cooperative, Snell said.
No suspects had been identified by late Saturday.
Snell said it is too early in the investigation to know whether the shooting was gang-related, but it is something police are looking into.
The violence adds to a growing list of shootings in recent months. There have been more than 40 in the city since December. Most of those have been attributed to gangs warring in south Everett, inside and outside city limits.
Kirk Estie, 52, heard about the shooting Saturday morning. However, he hadn’t realized it happened in front of his mother’s house.
Estie maintains the property for his mother. He had planned to install a walking path in the front yard Saturday. He opted to hold off on that project.
“That’s way too close to home,” Estie said.
Access to his childhood home had been blocked off with crime tape earlier that day.
“This stuff doesn’t happen in this neighborhood. It’s usually pretty quiet,” Estie said.
Anyone with information about the shooting or suspects is asked to call the Everett Police Department’s tip line at 425-257-8450 or Crime Stoppers of Puget Sound at 800-222-TIPS.
Caitlin Tompkins: 425-339-3192; ctompkins@heraldnet.com.
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