A 17-year-old and a 19-year-old have been arrested as suspects months after seven people were shot at a Lakewood park.
On May 28, shots rang out at Harry Todd Park around 8 p.m.
Officers arrived at a “hectic scene”, with families and individuals running from the park.
Several victims were found at the scene, and others took themselves to the hospital. One of the people taken to the hospital was the 17-year-old suspect.
The victims, ages ranging from 16 to 38, included:
A 38-year-old man was shot through the liver (significant damage)
A 38-year-old woman was shot in both legs
A 17-year-old boy was shot in the shoulder and arm
A 20-year-old man was shot in the left cheek
A 19-year-old man was shot through the elbow with significant injury
A 16-year-old girl was shot in the buttocks
A 17-year-old boy was shot in the knee and upper bicep
Through the course of the investigation, two people were identified as suspects.
According to court documents, one of the suspects, the 19-year-old, is a member of the “GHG” (Get Him Gone) street gang, which is associated with “Black Disciples,” also known as BD or “2-4″.
Investigators learned that the 17-year-old’s best friend was killed in a shooting in Tacoma in April, court docs said.
“GHG members live-streamed a planned desecration of the victim’s memorial site, where they were seen kicking and stomping on candles while disparaging the victim’s name,” court documents said.
According to court documents, the 17-year-old later told police that he was at the park hours before the shooting without incident until a large group arrived.
The 19-year-old allegedly challenged the 17-year-old to a fight, which he accepted. However, court documents say the 19-year-old pulled out a handgun and fired at someone in the group.
Detectives believe the 17-year-old was returning fire using a “.9mm semi-automatic handgun modified with a switch, enabling it to fire in fully automatic mode,” court docs said.
“Evidence supports that [the 17-year-old] fired recklessly and indiscriminately to the north and was the only person firing in that direction,” court documents said.
The 17-year-old is facing charges of four counts of first-degree assault and second-degree unlawful possession of a firearm.
The 19-year-old is facing three counts of first-degree assault.
Both are booked in the Pierce County Jail and are being held on $2 million bail each.