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David Long, 40, was shot three times while standing at a checkout lane inside the Peninsula Market on Aug. 11.

Victim in Key Peninsula grocery store shooting dies

BY Brandi Kruse  on October 15, 2012 @ 11:51 am (Updated: 5:00 pm - 10/15/12 )

One of three people shot inside a Key Peninsula grocery store in August has died.

David Long, 40, was shot three times while standing at a checkout lane inside the Peninsula Market on Aug. 11.

Long, who was mentally disabled, lived across the street and frequented the store. Claudia Jones, who was working as a cashier the day he was shot, remembers him as kind, gentle, and shy.

"I would help him with his purchases and always look forward to seeing him," said Jones, 55, a longtime resident of the Key Peninsula. She spoke with KIRO Radio several days after the shooting.

"I always asked him how he was, and some days he would answer short answers and other days he would talk to me for a minute."

Laura Sorenson, 20, had been charged with two counts of first-degree attempted murder and one count first-degree assault for allegedly shooting Long and two other men inside the store.

She could now face a murder charge in Long's death.

Long, the most seriously injured victim, spent several weeks in critical condition at Tacoma General Hospital following the shooting.

His condition had begun to improve, but he passed away over the weekend after complications during a surgery.

"Why him?" his sister, Heidi Michaelson, said after the shooting. "I wouldn't want it to be anyone else either, but he's just so innocent."

A memorial service will be held on Sunday, Oct. 21.

Brandi Kruse, KIRO Radio Reporter
Brandi Kruse is a reporter for KIRO Radio who is as spontaneous and adventurous in her free time as she is on the job. Brandi arrived at KIRO Radio in March 2011 and has already collected three regional Edward R. Murrow awards for her reporting.
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Comments (4)


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  • GigHarborLiving wrote...
    This is just so sad.
    October 15, 2012 1:51 pm
    H e was standing in line to pay for his purchases, and gets shot three times. No warning, no conflict, no hope. May the murderer who shot a kind and shy man, do life.
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  • chellesbelles wrote...
    @GigHarborLiving...
    October 15, 2012 8:25 pm
    I would be satisfied with death for this person. She has proven that she is completely useless to society. Poor guy, just doing what most of us do all the time. So very sad.
    { "Thumbs Up":"1","Thumbs Down":"-1" }
  • BarbaraInWa wrote...
    That's so harsh
    October 18, 2012 9:24 am
    My heart breaks for the families of both David and Laura. David's...because no one deserves to lose a family member in such a senseless way, and Laura's...because never did a family try harder to get their daughter the mental health care that she needed. Unfortunately, in Washington, if you have an adult family member who suffers from a mental disease, the state will not involuntarily commit them unless they verbally state they will harm themselves or others. How tragic that this could have been prevented if the court system had only listened.
    { "Thumbs Up":"1","Thumbs Down":"-1" }
  • Raining Sideways wrote...
    Saddened to read this story.
    October 16, 2012 12:14 am
    This is so heartbreaking. My condolences to the family and friends of David Long. May he Rest in Peace
    { "Thumbs Up":"1","Thumbs Down":"-1" }
  • { "Thumbs Up":"1","Thumbs Down":"-1" }