‘Society has failed them’: Gee and Ursula say Alderwood Mall guilty plea exposes how easy it is for kids to get guns

The teen who killed 13-year-old Jayda Woods-Johnson with a stray bullet at Alderwood Mall in 2024 pleaded guilty to second-degree murder Wednesday, but for Gee Scott and Ursula Reutin, co-hosts of “The Gee and Ursula Show” on KIRO Newsradio, the plea is less about one case and more about a system that keeps putting guns in children’s hands.

Samuel Gizaw, now 18, entered his guilty plea in Snohomish County Superior Court and apologized to the family, according to KIRO 7.

“I made such a horrible mistake at such a young age that affected the lives of many people,” Gizaw said in court. “I hope that today’s guilty plea brings more closure to the family.”

The shooting happened in the mall’s food court on July 3, 2024, when Gizaw pulled a gun during a fight with a group of teens and fired a shot in their direction. The bullet struck Woods-Johnson, who was walking through the mall with a friend and had nothing to do with the altercation. She died at the scene.

Gee says up to five chances with a gun before real consequences is ‘ludicrous’

Gee said the case reflects a system that lets young people down long before they end up in a courtroom.

“Again, remind you, up to five times of getting caught with a firearm before there can be some type of detention of 30 days or more. Up to five times,” Gee said.

“Ludicrous,” Ursula responded.

“So that means one time you get caught, two times you get caught, nothing,” Gee continued. “Three times you get caught, nothing. Four times you get caught, nothing. So society has failed them.”

Gee says even good parents can’t always stop gun violence

Gee said even kids with strong parents can end up making dangerous choices. He shared that both of his parents were in law enforcement, yet he still ended up with a gun in his hand as a young person.

“My dad didn’t play. My mama didn’t play. Yet somehow, someway, I still had a gun in my hand at some point in my young life,” Gee said. “No, I didn’t shoot anybody, but I did dumb stuff. Sometimes kids will do dumb things even when they have good parents.”

Gee also noted that affluence doesn’t prevent the problem and can sometimes make it worse.

“In my experience, the kids that did just the dumbest things, the dumbest things, the kids that did the stuff over and over again, were the people that had parents and families with means to get them out of it,” Gee said.

Ursula says guns are too easy for young people to get in wake of Alderwood Mall guilty plea

Ursula said the tragedy comes down to access.

“It is way too easy for young people to get a hand on a gun,” Ursula said. “And we are talking about people who don’t have regulation. These are young people who don’t know what to do with their rage.”

Ursula said she’s given up on the idea that sweeping policy changes will fix the problem and instead pushed for holding gun owners accountable when their firearms end up in children’s hands.

“I know that people resist the idea of ‘Y’all need to secure your firearms,’ and if you are responsible for a firearm getting in the hands of someone young because you didn’t secure it properly, that’s an issue,” Ursula said.

Gizaw faces a sentencing range of 10 to 18 years and is scheduled to be sentenced Oct. 23.

Watch the full discussion in the video above.

Listen to Gee and Ursula on “The Gee and Ursula Show” weekday mornings from 9 am to 12 pm on KIRO Newsradio.