Deputies arrest second suspect linked to Graham-Kapowsin High School shooting

Pierce County deputies arrested a second suspect believed to be involved in the shooting near Graham-Kapowsin High School on Tuesday.

Detective Ed Troyer says deputies continue their search for a third suspect.

The Pierce County Sheriff’s Office released a photo of two of the suspects on Twitter.

Detectives have 1 suspect in custody for the shooting at Graham-Kapowsin High School, trying to id additional suspects seen in this photo. Call #PCSD or Crime Stoppers if you know who this is. pic.twitter.com/vOkEjJaHfC

— Pierce Co Sheriff (@PierceSheriff) December 6, 2017

Two male students from Graham-Kapowsin High School were shot Tuesday. They were rushed to Tacoma General Hospital in critical condition where they underwent surgery. They are expected to survive, according to the Pierce County Sheriff’s Office.

Detective Troyer says at least some of the people involved may have gang ties, but at least one of the victims may have just been a bystander who was watching the altercation before the shooting began.

Troyer told KIRO Radio that one of the suspects is a student at the high school. The other two are not students at the school.

Deputies indicate the shooting occurred about 40 yards off of school grounds. The victims ran back to the high school after being shot. One student ran back to a parking lot near a football field. The other ran to a locker room.

Schools went into lockdown

Listen to KIRO Radio for the latest details

Three schools were in lockdown following the incident — Graham-Kapowsin High School, Frontier Middle School, Nelson Elementary  — according to the Bethel School District. Graham Elementary was briefly locked down before students were released to their buses. All after-school activities at the high school and middle school were canceled.

The gym at nearby Frontier Middle School was set up for unification between students and parents.

The school district released a statement:

“Our thoughts and prayers are with the families and students involved with this shooting today. This is a scary situation and we are proud of how our staff, students and families have been and are still reacting to it. We have been assured that students still on campus are safe. We are following direction from the Pierce County Sheriff’s Department and are relying on them for additional information at this point.”

Prayers for our fellow eagles 💙

— Graham Kapowsin HS (@gkeagles) December 5, 2017

Follow @http://twitter.com/Mynorthwest