The injured 11-year-old girl played dead as the attacker stood by her bedside. He had previously killed almost his entire family – according to the child's testimony about the tragedy in Fall City, Washington, given to investigators. The girl said that she recognized both the attacker and the weapon. It was supposed to be her 15-year-old brother, holding his father's silver gun. When the teenager left his room and reached the neighbor's house, he managed to escape through the fire window. He called for service, even though he was the first.
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For several days, authorities in Fall City, Washington, are investigating the circumstances of the tragic events that occurred last Monday morning. Many people were killed in one of the houses. The testimony of an 11-year-old girl who was involved in the tragedy, described in detail in court documents, sheds more light on what happened at the time.
She heard a gunshot and saw her sister fall to the ground
The girl remembers being woken up by the sound of gunshots on Monday. When she looked outside her bedroom door, she saw her father and 9-year-old brother, both lying on the hall floor with gunshot wounds. His 7-year-old sister, who shared a room with him, came out of the bedroom. Then the girl heard the gunshot again and saw that her younger sister fell to the ground.
According to the information given to the investigators by the 11-year-old girl, the attacker entered her bedroom and fired one or two shots. He injured her arm and neck. The girl testified that she is familiar with this weapon. According to her, it was a Glock pistol that belonged to her father.
He also recognized the shooters. He said that it was his 15-year-old brother.
Tragic events occurred in Fall City, Reuters
She played dead while her brother stood by her bedside
There were more victims. Authorities said the mother and 13-year-old brother were shot elsewhere in the home.
According to court documents, the 11-year-old girl reported that she saw her brother approach the bodies of other family members to check if they were alive. He also admitted that despite the pain of the gunshot, he pretended to be dead when the boy was at his bedside.
When he left his room, he escaped through the fire window. He ran to the neighbor's house. He called the emergency number just after 5 o'clock and reported the shooting. According to the case file, he named a 15-year-old boy as a possible culprit.
It is understood that this is not the first call related to this issue that the services have received this morning. Seven minutes ago, the 15-year-old called for help. During the conversation, the files say, he became out of breath and said he was hiding in the bathroom. She told the 911 operator that her 13-year-old brother killed their family and took his own life. In the conversation, he claimed that his younger brother was caught watching obscene movies the night before and there was a conflict at home.
It has not yet been decided how he will be tried
This 15-year-old boy was arrested after the police arrived at the house. On Thursday, he was charged in juvenile court with five counts of aggravated murder and one count of attempted murder with a firearm. On Friday, prosecutors asked to transfer the case to adult court.
Under Washington state law, a judge's review and approval is required to transfer a case to adult court. It usually takes months before a final decision is made.
If the juvenile court finds the child guilty, he can be held in a suitable facility until the age of 25. But if the adult court finds him guilty, he could be sentenced to life in prison, with the possibility of release after 25 years in prison.
According to the testimony of his 11-year-old sister, the teenager has been having a lot of trouble at school lately. She also told investigators that she was the only sibling who knew the combination of where her father kept his gun.
After the shooting, the girl was taken to the hospital, but she has already left the hospital. A family member volunteered to take care of her and her older brother, who remains incarcerated, Sarah Perry told CNN. At the same time, the court forbade the boy to contact his living sister.
Main photo source: Reuters
