13-year-old arrested after shooting 17-year-old family member in Seattle, police say
Jun 5, 2026, 4:19 PM
A Seattle Police Department patch is seen on an officer's uniform, July 17, 2016, in Seattle. (Photo: Ted S. Warren, The Associated Press)
(Photo: Ted S. Warren, The Associated Press)
A 13-year-old boy was arrested after he allegedly shot a 17-year-old boy, who was his family member, police told the King County Prosecuting Attorney’s Office (KCPAO). The shooting happened last week in Seattle’s Rainier Valley neighborhood.
The 13-year-old, accompanied by a family member, turned himself in Thursday morning, the Seattle Police Department (SPD) reported.
Officers transported the boy to the Homicide Unit before booking him into the Judge Patricia H. Clark Children and Family Justice Center for investigation of manslaughter and unlawful possession of a firearm.
At the first appearance hearing Friday, prosecutors asked the judge to find probable cause for the 13-year-old’s arrest on investigation of manslaughter and unlawful gun possession. After hearing from both sides, the judge found probable cause for the boy’s arrest on investigation of those crimes, according to KCPAO Director of Communications Casey McNerthney.
McNerthney said KCPAO asked the judge to order the boy held in juvenile detention, as did a juvenile probation officer, and the boy’s dad.
The boy’s dad said his family continues to support the 13-year-old and that “we love him very dearly.”
The boy’s defense attorney asked for the boy to be released to electronic home detention, as he turned himself in to police. The judge ultimately ordered the 13-year-old held in juvenile detention.
“This is beyond a tragedy. But we cannot negate that it was an avoidable one, and this court has concerns,” the judge said.
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Seattle officers find 17-year-old with gunshot wound to head
Around 11:30 p.m. on May 29, dispatchers received reports of an accidental shooting inside an apartment in the 6000 block of Martin Luther King Jr. Way South.
Officers arrived and found the 17-year-old boy suffering from a gunshot wound to the head. The 17-year-old was transported to Harborview Medical Center in critical condition. Despite lifesaving efforts, the boy died from his injuries Sunday.
Homicide detectives arrived at the scene and identified the 13-year-old boy as the suspect.
Following the first appearance hearing, investigators are expected to send a case referral to prosecutors in the next few days for a charging decision.
Anyone with additional information about the shooting is asked to call the SPD Violent Crimes Tip Line at (206) 233-5000.
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